Keller started out young in the field of cooking and culinary skills - in fact, his love for cooking surfaced when he once worked as a chef at his mother's restaurant in Florida. I could go anywhere in the world and be a cook. I think one of my investors invested 500, and the one who invested the most I think was 80,000. Of course I didnt have any resources whatsoever. The businessmen who had constituted the base of their clientele went looking for lower-price, more casual dining options until the economy recovered. Keller is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide and is the first American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, Frances paramount honorary order. Thats what he wanted. The latest restaurant, "ad hoc", opened in September 2006 in Yountville with a different fixed price comfort food dinner served family style every night. The sandwich resembles a typical BLT, with the addition of a fried egg. America had competed since the beginning but never even came close to the podium. The Keller empire expanded to Southern California with the 2009 opening of Bouchon and Bar Bouchon in Beverly Hills. She served me one of the best sandwiches I ever had, which was beef tongue. I became a consultant, which paid me more money than I ever made before, but which was so unrewarding to do that that I was just miserable. Were they going to come from France? Thomas Keller grew up in the restaurant business, in Palm Beach, Florida, working his way up from dishwasher to cook. He has won multiple awards throughout his career and is well-known for his rare ability to establish restaurants that are somehow both relaxed and exciting. And that was my room. His book, which was extraordinarily inspiring, was a book of stories. It jumps, right? Start with your all-time favorite recipe from your favorite cookbook. Philip Tessier, who was a young chef, our sous-chef at French Laundry, formed a team and made the challenge. And then of course you have the chef de cuisine who is responsible for the entire kitchen. But more than any of that, we realized a great burden of responsibility, because Ruth, who is an expert in her field, somebody who we all look to, somebody who we all respect, has now called us, literally, the best place or the most exciting place to eat in America. The important thing, he said, is to make sure to give to young chefs the right things, the right mentoring because "if we're not truly working to raise the standards of our profession, then we're not really doing our job. But the next summer, when spring came around, Ren called me and asked me if I wanted to come back to La Rive, and because that was such a bucolic experience for me, it was so familiar, they were like my second parents, I moved back to Catskill for that third summer. Even though I hadnt spent a lot of time with my father growing up, in my early 20s I made a reconnection with him and certainly we rekindled our relationship and he was very supportive, even though he didnt understand what I did. And in his own way he enlightened us in the same way that Alice did in being able to encourage chefs to reconnect to the suppliers that are bringing us those extraordinary ingredients. Somebody will hire you. I wanted to make sure that I had somewhere to go to. The same year, Keller published a book of family-style recipes, Ad Hoc at Home, which spent six weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Keller took a $5,000 cash advance on his credit card to retain an attorney who helped him structure a private placement offering. On January 26, 2004, Keller opened his restaurant Bouchon in Las Vegas. I spent a little time in college. All these great restaurants were defined by that and so they became the La Le restaurants. So hes tasked with many different things and having to juggle many different things. Its really, thats where I learned about the idea of being a team as it relates to a sports franchise. I was at work so I didnt have to spend any money entertaining myself. I dont know, whatever. Not everybody has that much awareness of it, but for our point of view, the sense of national pride that we have in what we do, the commitment that we have during that two-year process of training, choosing and training those young chefs because it takes a year to train them. Ive had some extraordinary honors in my life. There werent really a lot of people who had aspirations of becoming a chef. And of course the next morning he called me and he told me that The French Laundry again had received the highest recognition from Michelin Guide, three stars. Chef Keller led a team from the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal in theBocuse dOr, a prestigious biannual competition that is regarded as the Olympics of the culinary world. Theres sous-chefs responsible in pastry in the same way. His father, a United States Marine, was stationed nearby at Camp Pendleton. At the same time, be able to do my homework when needed, be able to function as a young person and still keep busy. What is the chef cooking today? And I thought that was just brilliant in the way he wrote that book. We invite those from our veterans home here in Yountville down to experience a meal around a table in a familiar place with food that is nourishing in every way. I guess you also needed to learn who your customers would be. We had a choice of getting on an airplane and missing the phone call, because it was going to come at 10:00 in the morning New York time, which was 4:00 in the afternoon in Paris. So, for example, meats or fish or vegetables or garde manger which is cold preparation, or pastry. So we lasted about 12 months. On a 1992 visit to the Napa Valley, he was introduced to Don and Sally Schmitt, owners of a small restaurant in Yountville, a small town in the heart of the wine-growing region. Did your mother or father support your culinary ambitions? Those things. I was committed. What do you say to any chef? On its list of 50 Best Restaurants in the World, Restaurant magazine named The French Laundry Best Restaurant in the World for two years running. And three days later I packed my bag early in the morning and I snuck out the door and caught the train and went to Paris and ended up staying at a friends apartment for almost two years and literally knocking on peoples doors for a job. Is there a connection between the fact that you got a book of recipes from the worlds great restaurants and then decided to go and apprentice in France, in the worlds great restaurants? He is one of the most awarded chefs in the world, and The James Beard Foundation has acknowledged him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. No reality TV shows. Where I ended up having the commitment from was a one-star Michelin restaurant in Arbois which is in the Jura, which is in eastern France just below Alsace a place I had never heard about before, a restaurant I had never heard about. I wanted to try new things. He was a man who would travel ten miles to save ten cents on a bar of margarine. Very simple. I think thats more of what I meant. We finally achieved what we promised, to reach the podium. We could only hope that we can achieve that. And one thing they said, Its not open enough. They were only open four days. A beautiful time in my life. In 1986 he became co-owner and executive chef of the original Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. Everybody was doing casual dining. Youre American. So you have chef electricians. And he said, Thomas, I want to be the first to congratulate you. The fourth discipline I learned was the repetition, right? Therefore you have to pay them. To cook something and overcook it, and then just throw it away would be just a waste of life. Pierre was in the kitchen Ann-Marie was in the dining room and I became his sous-chef. Our first year was 2009. The next day in the Lyon newspaper, the headlines: Pauls Dream Realized: America Reaches the Podium., Thomas Keller: We got silver. He actually sat with us, and his wife Sabine told me as we were leaving, she said, You know, Ive never seen my husband ever, ever sit down with anybody in this restaurant. He sat with us for about five minutes and chatted. It was such a moment for us because we represented our country. Thats a beautiful analogy for how one grows as a chef or as an artist, that youre always going to have a slightly different interpretation later in life when youve learned more. Was it a restaurant that was progressive and contemporary? Jan Birnbaum was the first. In the late 1980s he opened Rakel in New York, but left for California a few years later. He opened the restaurant for more days of the week and gradually evolved a policy of offering two nine-course tasting menus, one vegetable-based, and a second based on animal protein. We changed every day. My ignorance, as I said earlier, just continued to motivate me, to propel me forward. In our kitchen, for example, we have a sous-chef that would be what we call the A.M. It was considered one of the best restaurants in the world. Cook it by the numbers, following every instruction. So our job is to make sure that were choosing those ingredients of the moment. So he worked with a couple chefs in helping them raise money, organize their businesses. He enjoyed the teamwork of a restaurant kitchen and resolved to become a professional cook. Taking his most . The California-based chef has won nearly every culinary award imaginable; his cookbooks line the shelf of other chefs and passionate home. Oysters and Pearls. I learned the importance of ritual, doing things at specific times of the day and having them leading up to those times, and being prepared for those times. Working with a list of everyone he could think of who might have an interest in a restaurant or fine food venture, he called 400 prospects and finally attracted seed money from 52 individuals, one paying as much as $80,000 and some as little as $500 for a share of the business. You take a break at 3:00. Today we have executive chefs as well. But each day, waking up each day finding some success kept me motivated to the next day. It was really only on Saturday and Sunday that I kind of had to support myself through eating and/or entertaining myself. We also support the Semper Fi Foundation, which is actually in Camp Pendleton. So between private placement, commercial bank loan, and an SBA loan over the period, and with the help of Don and Sally Schmitt and Bob Sutcliffe, my attorney, as well as the 52 partners, we were able to put together enough money to buy The French Laundry, and on May 1, 1994 we finally closed on the deal. In 1996, the James Beard Foundation named Keller the Best Chef in America. A 1997 article by the influential New York Times critic Ruth Reichl pronounced The French Laundry the most exciting place to eat in the United States, and soon lovers of fine food from all over the world were making the pilgrimage to Yountville to sample Kellers fare. He grew up in the Depression, was a Marine for 23 years of his life. [25][26][27], This article is about the chef. You have chef plumbers. For other people named Thomas Keller, see, Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Restaurant Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants of the World, "Thomas Keller and The French Laundry Awards", "Le chef amricain Thomas Keller reoit la Lgion dhonneur", "MICHELIN Guide Reveals Inaugural Florida Selection", "The Thomas Keller Interview, II: On Benno, Bouchon and Brooklyn", "Prix fixe to the people: Thomas Keller goes populist with his new restaurant, Ad Hoc", "TK SET - Thomas Keller Limited Edition Set", Competing at the Bocuse dOr: Team USAs Unbeatable Recipes, Chef Timothy Hollingsworth Wants to Bring American Pressure to the Bocuse dOr, High Hopes for American Team in Bocuse dOr Cooking Competition, "Chef Thomas Keller:'Preparing myself to let go', "75 notable NYC restaurants and bars that permanently closed since 2020", "French Laundry chef talks about celebrity life", "Who cooked that up? She became a restaurant manager. What was school like for you? Theyll pick up Bon Appetit magazine or Gourmet or Saveur or any of the magazines. Thomas Keller: Yes. 3. Im not sure which one. You have received the highest rating in Michelin, three stars. And I was just It was emotional. I had left Checkers. And of course, what does the rabbit do? And thats where youre there supporting. You had to get the glassware to the bartenders so they could do their job. Yeah. What does the American Dream mean to you? Maybe it was a plan D as an olive oil purveyor. They agreed to take $5,000 in escrow. We live by them day to day, not necessarily having written them down. And it was really about Marines and their ability to stalk, their ability to be calm, their ability to pounce quickly and seize their prey. Once again, things got off to a good start, and Keller enjoyed making friends with colleagues in the West Coast restaurant scene. Trailer. Born to a marine drill sergeant and a restaurant manager . Thats really a different mentality, isnt it, than ordering off a big menu? After his second summer at La Rive, he decided to try his luck in New York City and was hired as chef at Raouls. It took 19 months to raise the money to purchase the place, but in 1994 he opened his restaurant, The French Laundry, and quickly made it a destination for gourmets and connoisseurs from all over the world. I think the single most important thing you can do the single most important decision you make when youre making a reservation to a restaurant is not what restaurant youre going to, but who youre going with. We want to make sure that we pay respect to them. And thats something that comes very much from military. We were of course very flattered. Michelin came in 2006. It was him and I in the kitchen with one commis and a dishwasher and of course Anne Marie in the dining room with two or three servers. TIME magazine named him Americas Best Chef in 2001. That was something that was fascinating. And of course the chefs. In 2013 we raised to ninth. So he reached in the cage, pulls a rabbit out, both legs, has one of those little baseball clubs, knocks it on its head, pins the rabbit to the side of the barn, slits its throat, dresses the rabbit in about five minutes. Did you commit to purchasing it before you raised the money? And I realized three or four months later that it was a perfect meal. Saatchi & Saatchi, another huge advertising firm, opened their corporate headquarters down there. I wasnt doing anything. Not just in the kitchen but in the management positions, in the ownership positions, everywhere that I kind of struggled in the past. Yes. Thomas Keller is the first American chef to receive consecutive three-star Michelin ratings for two restaurants. We would have been on a flight so we would have missed the phone call. Everybody read Herb Caen whether you liked food or not. One of the things that I dont believe we do enough of is to help our veterans, our servicemen and women. When I started to cook, the first cookbook that I received was from my mother, and she gave me a cookbook called A Treasury of Great Recipes. And those six disciplines are what we do every day as cooks, and I embrace that. What did you eat? Apart from his innovative restaurants, ThomasKellers books and above all his dedication and imagination have brought his informed and inventive cookery intohomes from coast to coast and around the world. It would seem Chef Thomas Keller would have reason to be satisfied. This is perhaps one of chef Keller's most famous dishes, a sabayon of pearl tapioca, beau soleil oysters and white sturgeon caviar. All this was a mystery until the day that you get a phone call. I dont want to say the art of repetition, but the ability to respect repetition and embrace it. But in retrospect it was beautiful. And he looks at me with a smirk in his eye and says, Gold. So hes still pushing. It was my generation that kind of missed that. In past interviews youve speculated that perhaps some people are born with a gene for hospitality. Thomas Keller: Per Se opened in 2004. Not everybody knows it like that. Chefs use science to develop their food preparation techniques and invent new methods of cooking. By 1986, he felt ready to try his hand again at opening a restaurant of his own. And you know, waste became a really important part of that learning experience, making sure that you know what? Youve mentioned the value of consistency, but nothing says it like that. You realize them on your own and that is really important as well. Thomas Keller was born in Oceanside, California. And then we have to mentor them not just in their career, but in their lives. I mean if youre having dinner you should be thinking about what youre eating. We had an extraordinary dinner. [2] His restaurants currently hold eight Michelin stars in total: three at Per Se, three at The French Laundry, one at Bouchon, and one at The Surf Club Restaurant.[3]. In 1997, The New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl called The French Laundry the most exciting place to eat in the United States. So in 1980, I planted my first garden. They become better than you. This dish is featured on both the menus at Per Se and The French Laundry, a dish that has stayed on the menus since it was created and one we fully expect to remain there. I mean youre in Paris. Thomas Keller: Yeah. And then you work until 11:00 at night. And I think thats very important, certainly in a kitchen as well as other places in many professions where theres this instant command response. Oh wow, what just happened? What happens? The Schmitts wanted $1.2 million for their business, and Keller had nothing resembling that kind of money, but they agreed to take $5,000 from Keller to hold in escrow while he returned to Los Angeles to raise the money he needed. Were putting our were composing our dishes in a way theyre going to be compelling for people, but we also have the ability to modify anything we do for somebody who has a dietary restriction or who just doesnt like something. Those were things that he was familiar with so and just telling stories. And it just didnt happen. I was a year-and-a-half younger, therefore I had to be set in front of the dishwasher. I became the first American chef to be at one of the great La Le restaurants in New York City. And Rakel was in an area that wasnt really supported by a community or a neighborhood around it. The multiple Michelin-starred chef (The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon) spent the past five years . We couldnt get prosciutto di Parma because it just wasnt available in this country so we used a dried Virginia ham, which was overly salty. You have lunch. Best Restaurant in the Americas (French Laundry), Best New Restaurant (Per Se), James Beard Foundation, 2005, Outstanding Restaurant (French Laundry), James Beard Foundation, 2006, Michelin Guide Bay Area, 3 Stars for The French Laundry, 2006 Current, Michelin Guide Bay Area, 1 Star for Bouchon, 2007 Current, Michelin Guide Bay Area, 1 Star for The Surf Club Restaurant, 2022 Current, Gayot Top 40 Restaurants in the US (French Laundry) 2004 2010, Gayot Top 40 Restaurants in the US (Per Se) 2010, Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor, presented by Chef Paul Bocuse on March 29, 2011, in NYC, Lifetime Achievement Award (French Laundry), This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 18:37.