Scalpel or Steak Knife?

Scalpel or Steak Knife?

Written by Diane Krieger | Photographed by Siri Berting

If her patients knew what surgeon Aileen Takahashi, MD, had planned for dinner, they might be tempted to roll off the operating table and follow her home. Dr. Takahashi is a gourmet chef. Those lucky enough to be invited may experience her puffy prosciutto-gruyere palmiers, followed by a porcini-rubbed tomahawk ribeye steak and brie-potato tartiflette, washed down with a fine grenache. For dessert, she may serve up a sinful chocolate-red wine cake.

It’s ironic, really. In her private life, Dr. Takahashi is all about expanding gastronomic horizons, while bariatric surgery—her medical specialty—is all about constricting gastric capacity.

There are four ovens in the custom-built kitchen of her El Segundo home, including a steam oven that lets her sous vide incredibly moist, brined turkey breasts for Thanksgiving. She and her husband (Charles) Bill Spenler, MD, like to host “wine pop-ups” with delicious food pairings. In the winter, they throw a truffle dinner, and each guest brings a course to be paired with the prized fungi, which Dr. Takahashi orders from France.

All of which begs the question: Why would a physician who is a hard-core foodie choose bariatric surgery? “Because,” she replies, “weight-loss cases are technically challenging, and it’s really rewarding to see patients change the quality of their lives.”

A fifth-generation Japanese American, Dr. Takahashi grew up in the Silver Lake area, raised by a single mother who worked for a telephone company. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in physical therapy and worked for several years at Little Company of Mary, in Torrance, which is where she met her husband.

Dr. Spenler was one the first plastic surgeons to do microvascular finger replant surgery in the South Bay. His patient had severed three fingers in an industrial accident, and the reattached digits required highly specialized physical therapy.

Aileen Takahashi, MD, knows how to wield a knife in the kitchen and the operating room. Her four-oven El Segundo kitchen is a dream come true for at-home meal prep, and it's where she and her husband love to entertain.

“I liked him right away,” Dr. Takahashi recalls, after Dr. Spenler reached out to discuss the case. “He asked for my recommendation. At that time, PTs weren’t asked anything. We were just told what to do.”

That was in 1989. They’ve been a couple ever since. It was Dr. Spenler who convinced Dr. Takahashi to become a surgeon. Their relationship survived her four years at the New York Medical College, plus eight more years of residencies and fellowships at USC and UCLA.

She’s been with the Torrance Memorial-affiliated Association of South Bay Surgeons since 2004—performing hundreds of surgeries a year. As medical director of the hospital’s Surgical Weight Loss Program, she standardized laparoscopic bariatric procedures and spearheaded the program’s rise to national accreditation in 2008.

While bariatrics is her primary focus, Dr. Takahashi still sees plenty of general surgery cases—stone-filled gallbladders, burst appendices, perforated colons, bleeding ulcers and hernias—during her call days in Torrance Memorial’s emergency room. But when the scrubs come off, she reverts to the single-minded pursuit of gastronomic excellence.

Recently, wine has come into sharper focus. In 2020 the couple bought a 10-acre spread in Paso Robles that includes 7 acres of vineyards. Last year they replanted with rootstock and plan to graft those vines with syrah, grenache and mourvèdre grapes. All are Rhône varietals known to thrive in the rich terroir (soil) of the Templeton Gap District.

Someday, Dr. Takahashi intends to live there. But not quite yet. “I’m not ready to give up this house,” she says, of their El Segundo mid-century modern. “The kitchen is perfect.” •

Vital Stats

Hometown: El Segundo

Family Ancestry: During World War II, her grandfather, Rev. Seytsu Takahashi, was held in isolation at a Japanese internment camp for fear that the bishop of Los Angeles’ venerable Koyasan Buddhist Temple might lead a revolt.

Spouse: Dr. (Charles) Bill Spenler, retired plastic surgeon, was the founder of the largest and longestrunning plastic surgery group in the Torrance area.

Weekend Getaway: 10acre ranch and vineyard in Paso Robles

Favorite Restaurants: Pizzeria Mozza on Melrose, Kazan Beverly Hills, Jame Enoteca in El Segundo

Favorite Wines: “Bubbles! They go with everything!” Also, Law Estates grenache, Clos Solène Hommage à Nos Pairs, and Clos Solène Hommage Blanc.

Culinary Ambition: “On my bucket list of things to make is a chocolate croissant. It’s going to take a whole day, but it would be something to be proud of—just to say I did it.”