Long Beach has been showing signs of life. Fuego opened last summer in the Hotel Maya, offering modern Latin cooking and views that were previously unimaginable. Further inland, The Factory debuted on December 1, featuring sustainable, locally sourced food, craft beer, boutique wine and cooking classes. Owner Natalie Gutenkauf and her husband used to own a beer distributorship, so they already had the beer part down, and chef Matt Clores is overseeing the food.

Gutenkauf is Long Beach to the core. She was born and raised in the city, and everywhere she turns, she’s reminded of her past. “The lawyer across the street, I was a debutante with his daughter,” she says. Gutenkauf is so fond of Long Beach that staffers wear “We Love Long Beach” T-shirts at the gastrobar.

Gutenkauf is an artist and chose the name out of respect for Andy Warhol and his famed New York City collective. “What he did was bring people together, whether you were an artist, musician, poet or actress,” she says. “All of these people together created an art scene.” Gutenkauf has taken a similar approach with The Factory, bringing together different elements to create a scene, including cooking classes, an open kitchen and a market. The space previously housed a formal Italian restaurant called La Vineria Italiana. Gutenkauf wanted the The Factory to be “more casual and comfortable”, with plenty of blackboard menus.

“Everything is based on sustainability and staying local,” says Gutenkauf. “I try to source as everything as local as possible. All of my beers and wines are West Coast. I go as far as Colorado, no further. I have a local farm a mile down the street. I work with Aquarium of the Pacific to make sure every fish is sustainable. Chicken is free range. J&J ranch is two hours north of here in Tehachapi. He hand delivers beef to us every week. It’s really cool. It’s taking it another step in terms of understanding where our food comes from.” The produce comes from farmer Jimmy Ng of The Growing Experience. Even the bread is local, from Babbette’s Bakery in Long Beach. There is one exception to The Factory’s local focus: Spain. “I have a weakness from Spain, so we do import Spanish cheeses, meats and wines,” says Gutenkauf. “California doesn’t make a Tempranillo as good as Spain does.”

“The menu we started this morning is different than what we’re doing for dinner tonight,” says Gutenkauf. “A rancher called us up and said he couldn’t process the beef in time, so we have ground beef but not steaks. It changes by the moment depending on what is able to come in.” Still, there have been a few breakout dishes. She’s especially proud of the Longfellow Legacy, named after local grammar school. It’s a top sirloin sandwich with horseradish blue cheese. The hamburger is a 10.5 ounce patty with “an obnoxious tower of bacon, avocado and spicy mustard aioli.” For dessert, look for a Port float with Port, cream soda, ice cream, whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

To drink, Gutenkauf regularly rotates 8 beer taps that showcase local SoCal breweries like Ballast Point, The Bruery and Stone. You’ll also find 12 bottles of wine, all available by the glass. “All of my wineries are small boutique wineries,” says Gutenkauf. “People come in here and think they know a lot about wine, but there are normally wines that they haven’t heard of. It’s through my travels and research. Every wine on my list has a story behind it.”

Gutenkauf’s goal with the cooking classes is currently to “teach kids about food,” for example, how a potato is grown. She currently teaches kids cooking classes, “mommy and me” classes for 18-month-olds to three-year-olds. You’ll also find classes for 5-8 year olds. There’s no stove work; it’s mainly assembly and education. In the future, The Factory will host cooking classes for adults. In the meantime, there are Tuesday tastings involving wine, beer or cheese, plus “education and learning.”