After first putting his Beverly Hills-adjacent home up for sale at the beginning of this year, pizza pie tycoon Larry Flax and his wife Joni have successfully unloaded the elaborate spread, complete with its healthy extra helping of custom ingredients, for $34.4 million. While that’s significantly less than the California Pizza Kitchen cofounder’s original $48.5 million asking price, it’s still a very impressive number for the guarded Beverly Park enclave, arguably the most desirable gated community in Los Angeles.
Records confirm the spendy buyer is an entity tied to Dr. Bardia Anvar, a Beverly Hills-based general surgeon and founder of the national surgical-based Skilled Wound Care chain, and his wife Tania Pourat, a dentist. Anvar and Pourat, who also own a custom-built home in the Beverly Hills Flats neighborhood, now hold title to a 14,000-square-foot Beverly Park manor sporting seven bedrooms and some 12 bathrooms.
Completed in 1994, and tucked away behind gates and a circular motorcourt embellished with a tiered fountain, the property includes a French chateau-inspired main house and detached guesthouse spread across a 2.8-acre parcel of lushly landscaped land.
Wrought-iron and wood-trimmed doors open into a limestone-clad foyer, which displays a sweeping staircase and gold-leaf dome boasting a marbled alabaster skylight. From there, the formal living room has a glass-encased entertaining area and floor-to-ceiling French doors spilling out to a covered loggia with a fireplace, plus a 20-seat dining room adorned with a coved ceiling and hand-painted wall paneling flanked by a china room with plenty of felt-lined storage space.
And that’s not even the topping on this proverbial real estate pizza! There’s also a limestone-bathed family room with its own marble fireplace and wet bar, connecting via pocket doors to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with a wraparound granite island, commercial-grade appliances, a butler’s pantry and fireside dining area overlooking an 1,800-bottle wine cellar.
Other highlights include a wood-paneled library and glass conservatory topped by a Murano glass chandelier, along with a sumptuous upstairs master retreat that comes complete with a separate seating area with fireplace, kitchenette and private balcony, as well as dual bathroom suites equipped with walk-in closets, a soaking tub, fireplace and an office. Also on tap is a movie theater with a velvet stage curtain.
Outside, the rigidly manicured grounds feature rose gardens, a big grassy lawn, a full-size tennis court and meandering pathways. Spacious patios provide plenty of opportunities for al fresco lounging and entertaining, and there’s a 70-foot swimmer’s pool with a spa serviced by an outdoor kitchen and built-in BBQ.
Rounding it all out is garaging for five cars, and monthly HOA dues of nearly $5,200 just for the privilege of calling the exclusive community home. Some of the nearest neighbors include Adele, Denzel Washington, Sofia Vergara, Rod Stewart and Eddie Murphy.
This is hardly Dr. Anvar’s first brush with celebrity. Less than two years ago, he paid $10.3 million for the oceanfront Malibu home of actor Leo DiCaprio. As for Flax, he’s moved on to a $12.5 million condo at the Century, one of L.A.’s most prestigious residential skyscrapers.
