Chef Thomas Keller is the owner and chef de cuisine of some
of the world's best restaurants. Discover his culinary career, as well as his
techniques and cooking tips for home cooks.
A Brief Overview of Thomas Keller
Chef Thomas Keller is a Michelin-starred chef and the owner
of Yountville's The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, as well as Per
Se in New York City. Chef Keller began his culinary career as a teenager,
working as a dishwasher at his mother's Palm Beach restaurant. Before opening
his first restaurant, Rakel, in New York City in 1986, he studied in France
with Chef Roland Henin and apprenticed at several Michelin-starred restaurants.
Chef Keller has won the Michelin Guide Mentor Chef Award for 2021. He has
written several books, including The French Laundry Cookbook, Bouchon Bakery,
Adhoc At Home, and Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide.
5 Facts about Chef Thomas Keller
In 2001, Time magazine named Chef Keller America's Best
Chef. Here are some quick facts about the award-winning chef and owner:
1. Chef Keller has multiple three-star Michelin ratings.
Chef Keller is the first and only chef born in the United States to have
received multiple Michelin three-star ratings.
2. Chef Keller was awarded the Bocuse d'Or. Chef Keller led
a US team to its first-ever gold medal in the Bocuse d'Or, the world's most
prestigious culinary competition, in 2017. This gastronomic competition, named
after Chef Paul Bocuse, is regarded by food professionals as the Olympics of
cooking.
3. He is a French Legion of Honor Chevalier. Chef Keller was
named a Chevalier, France's highest decoration, in 2011 for his efforts to
promote French cuisine in the United States. Chef Keller is the first male chef
in the United States to receive the award. Chef Thomas Keller was nominated for
the award by Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Jacques Pepin, and Robert Parker.
4. He works as a film consultant. Chef Keller worked on
films such as Spanglish and Ratatouille as a culinary consultant.
5. He owns more than ten restaurants. Yountville's The
French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, Bouchon Bakery, Adhoc + Addendum, Regiis Ova
Caviar & Champagne, and La Calenda in Napa Valley, California; Per Se in
New York City; Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas; and The Surf
Club Restaurant in Miami are all Thomas Keller restaurants.
