[1], In April 2009, Keller became engaged to longtime girlfriend and former general manager at the French Laundry, Laura Cunningham. "At some point you want to say, 'I gave, I gave, I gave now it's time for us,'" he said. 3. I was very impatient, and I wanted to go out and explore. 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. And Herb always wrote maybe two or three sentences about an experience he had that he wanted to share. After The Dunes Club, Keller worked various cooking positions in Florida and soon became the cook at a small French restaurant called La Rive in the Hudson River valley in Catskill, New York. It was a restaurant in West Palm Beach, Florida. Where were their parameters for that? TIME magazine named him Americas Best Chef in 2001. And I arrived at the front door and a large matronly woman met me and she was very harsh, and she took me up to my room, which was this small cubicle with a window, but the window was covered with dust, which I thought was dust. 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. And his house was right next door to The French Laundry, where he lived and it was a common thing to go over there after work in the afternoon, at four or five oclock when the morning team would be finishing up, and theyd be over there on his front porch drinking beer out of cans, because he really liked canned beer as opposed to bottled beer. Patience, and perseverance, are a virtue. Thomas Keller: I think thats just it. I stopped to see him, say hello, see how he was doing. So everybody relied on your ability to be organized, to be efficient, to have your job done thoroughly, to understand repetition, rituals, and give them what they needed to do the job. I wonder where that ambition came from to be the best, and why didnt you decide to go to school for that? Not just in the kitchen but in the management positions, in the ownership positions, everywhere that I kind of struggled in the past. His Surf Club Restaurant in Miami marked a return to the continental style of dining enjoyed in the legendary restaurants of the 1940s and 50s. Ive had some extraordinary honors in my life. Interview with Chef Thomas Keller - Institute of Culinary Education So I went to Bobs office with this idea of The French Laundry and hoping that he would be my attorney. You opened your own restaurant in New York in 1986. He became a cook. We do the same thing over and over and over again. The next day in the Lyon newspaper, the headlines: Pauls Dream Realized: America Reaches the Podium., Thomas Keller: We got silver. And I thought that was just brilliant in the way he wrote that book. And so that was over 400 people I called during that period of time. The fourth discipline I learned was the repetition, right? So efficiency became important, how you lined up the racks, how you put the plates in the racks, or when was the time to wash the glasses, when was the time to wash the silverware so that nothing so that everything became seamless for everybody. Roasted chicken, thats a simple thing to do, but its very hard. Back to the first cookbook you received as a gift from your mom. What the Marines say so much about is that discipline, is that commitment to what youre doing, and more important, the commitment to each other. Thats the system that has been in place since Escoffier codified The French kitchen in the early 1900s. I was committed. Thomas Keller's Career Path | Culinary Agents The following year Michelin was going to launch in San Francisco. So we have a sous-chef thats responsible for canaps and fish for example. But each day, waking up each day finding some success kept me motivated to the next day. Yountville, CA: ad hoc, addendum, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, New York: Bouchon Bakery, Per Se, TAK Room (closed), Outstanding Chef: America, James Beard Foundation, 1997. Originally intended to be a temporary project while Keller planned his lifelong dream restaurant for the location, serving hamburgers and wine,[9] he decided to make ad hoc permanent and find a new location for the hamburger restaurant due to its popularity. Its always, Oui, chef. Yes. And I learned at that moment a profound respect for the ingredients that we have, a profound respect for those individuals who bring them to us, and how committed they are to what they do, and how committed I have to be to what Im doing to respect what they do. I learned the technique was important. And theres no choices on the menu, so its a problem for us. So I thought, Well, when I open The French Laundry, well extend hours of operation and well offer choices in each category. And they would just be, you know, they were 50 years younger than he was, and he would just be telling them stories and theyd just be like listening on the edge of their seats, and that was one of the favorite things that he did. What are your core values? And it wasnt something I had thought about before, but within a half an hour, I defined what they were, just because thats how I felt, and thats how most people are. You should be thinking about those who youre with. Of course it became one of those stories that, if it was today, it would have gone viral, but back in those days we didnt have what we have today. If I was going to make a career, if I was going to be successful in my chosen vocation, I needed to raise this money. Thomas Keller: There was one other a little less-known chef, who also inspired me and I think a lot of my colleagues, and that was Jean-Louis Palladin. Prove that you can by acting on it and youll be successful. 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. Iconic Dishes by Chef Thomas Keller - Fine Dining Lovers You have received the high There was a pause. The second cookbook that I received, which was from my mentor Roland Henin, was Ma Gastronomie by Fernand Point. Thomas Keller, who was named "America's Best Chef" in 2001 by TIME Magazine, among countless other accolades, has taught a generation of restaurateurs how to not only be like him, but to be even better. To cook something and overcook it, and then just throw it away would be just a waste of life. When he was seven his parents separated, and Thomas moved with his mother and two older brothers to Palm Beach, Florida, where his grandmother and great aunts helped raise him and his brothers. Chef Bios: Thomas Keller. To expand his knowledge, he joined Compagnons du Devoir, an artisans' organization that offers technical education through tours and apprenticeships with masters. You know, where did the dish come from? It was considered one of the best restaurants in the world. We all promised him that we would do our jobs collectively in organizing a foundation that would support a U.S. culinary team to compete in Lyon and actually reach the podium. So I had been focused on working in and Ive chosen French cuisine and haute cuisine as my metier. And the kitchen that I was in was nothing like any kitchens that I had been in in America. He joined forces with his friend Serge Raoul to open a restaurant whose name combined the first letters of the partners last names: Rakel. I learned at that time that persistence is really one of those keys to success. It was very interesting because the authors were Vincent and Mary Price, and it was their recipes of the great restaurants that they had experienced around the world, and it was this beautifully leather-bound book. Remember, it wasnt that long that we missed it. Where else would you aspire to go if it wasnt the best? I went to move to Paris in 1983 so I had been cooking now for almost a decade. People become very anxious in those moments. So sure enough, Paul calls me ten minutes later and asks me to be the president. I mean all these that are part of that repetition was what I learned as a dishwasher. Cooking and food preparation are applied sciences, and chefs understand them fully to succeed at their job. What college did you attend for that short while? I knew I could cook. Chefs use science to develop their food preparation techniques and invent new methods of cooking. Theres 12 rabbits in the cage and hes explaining to me in broken English how to kill the rabbit. Thomas Keller: Probably 17. With Lena Kwak, the research and development chef of The French Laundry, Keller had developed Cup4Cup, a gluten-free flour. And for some reason he said, Okay, Thomas. I had committed myself since 1977 to make this my career. I chose to go into the kitchen. 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. So I set my sights high. He has received countless accolades, including The Culinary Institute of Americas Chef of the Year Award and the James Beard Foundations Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurateur Awards. That was something that was fascinating. Chefs understand how cutting, heating and cooling food change its composition. If Im going to raise money from a lot of different people so it doesnt impact if Im not successful, its not going to impact their lives. So that was the process with the private placement business plan. The story of The French Laundry for me is an incredible story, because everybody who was part of the process, who was part of the evolution, was part of that project, has impacted it in so many different ways. We had some in New York City, mostly in New York I would say. I had already closed two restaurants. Youve done a lot of beautiful service for veterans here in this area. I wasnt convinced that I was just going to travel to France and knock on somebodys door, but in reality thats actually what happened. He was a man who would travel ten miles to save ten cents on a bar of margarine. A chef in France is the head of a specific area. You had to sweep the floor at these specific times. 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. Thomas Keller: It was a very difficult time in New York City. But it wasnt because I wanted to have a career in the profession, in the culinary profession. Thomas Keller: From Dishwasher To World-Renowned Chef - Forbes Theyll pick up Bon Appetit magazine or Gourmet or Saveur or any of the magazines. We did so many different things. Well, I could choose, you know, you go to a hotel and you had six pillows to choose from. It was a very special treat to be invited to lunch with Thomas Keller, the world-renowned chef and owner of the French Laundry, Per Se, and many other award-winning restaurants. Then the hard work of attracting investors began. I wanted to travel. The idea of service is so pertinent to both worlds, military and culinary. They didnt want steak Diane and pommes boulangre. He was very, very fascinated with cooking. And now Im left, because now I have to without his help or his guidance is butcher these other 11 rabbits. I had only been there for a year, but I was determined. After his second summer at La Rive, he decided to try his luck in New York City and was hired as chef at Raouls. There was that true connection to our suppliers, to those people who produced our food. Certainly, working in French kitchens was the same for me. 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. No. Paul Bocuse, who has a great affection for America, hell tell the story. What did you learn working at Taillevent? At that point you begin overeating because you want to try each one of them. Thomas Keller: We love to do Thanksgiving. If you could be more efficient than the person next to you, then you could have more time to learn what you wanted to learn, to continue to grow and continue to evolve, continue to progress. Thomas Keller: In the beginning, when Don and Sally Schmitt had the restaurant, there was one menu. So for me, there wasnt really a lot of awareness about opportunities outside of learning the trade in a kitchen. Once again, things got off to a good start, and Keller enjoyed making friends with colleagues in the West Coast restaurant scene. Hes got his cage. 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? You had to empty the garbage can three times a day. Thomas Keller was born in Oceanside, California. So I stayed in New York for about a year looking for something to do, never really finding anything. It was a daunting task for us every day to produce this menu. As time went on and we became more and more popular, we realized that we wanted to add a tasting menu. Not necessarily. The highest priority for us is that we are able to reach our own expectations. Is that hierarchy something that you observed in France? Simple is hard. But in retrospect it was beautiful. And he said, Oh, and by the way, Bouchon got one.. So I want you to come to my restaurant with the attitude that youre going to have a great time because of the experience youre going to have with those that youre dining with. And if we do that, if we do that every day, then thats the best we can do, and we can feel comfortable that we have given you the best. One of the first employees to sign on was a young woman named Laura Cunningham, a Berkeley graduate with some experience in the Napa restaurant scene. World War II kind of shook that all up. Thomas Keller: Yes. We got on a plane the next day and came back to New York and of course celebrated again. Thomas Keller: Its pretty extraordinary when someone with the capacity, with the authority, with the attention that Ruth is able to get says that you are the most exciting place to eat in America. To be there for a long time, to be impactful for a long time, to have a team that continues to evolve, to have guests that continue to come to your restaurant, to have that relationship with your partners or your suppliers, those are really, really important things for me in a restaurant. But I truly dont think that any moment that you get something to eat should just be about getting something to eat. Keller still believed that to become the chef he wanted to be, he needed to study French cuisine at the source by working in Frances great restaurants. Thomas Keller: On a trip to Napa Valley one spring day, Jonathan Waxman, who is a friend of mine who had opened a restaurant in New York and now is opening a restaurant here in Napa Valley. I had now failed in two restaurants and a chef de cuisineposition or executive chef position at Checkers Hotel. I said, Im never going to do that again. I spent a little time in college. We were of course very flattered. Were you a good student? In 2017, Keller and Team USA secured the ultimate victory, winningthe Gold Medal for the United States for the first timeinthecompetitions 30-yearhistory. And I think thats very important, certainly in a kitchen as well as other places in many professions where theres this instant command response. There he worked under the French chef Roland Henin, who inspired him to master the exacting art of French haute cuisine. That was a Sunday supper, and we had a beautiful time. Thomas Keller: A commis is the lowest position that you would enter when you enter a kitchen. Thomas Keller: I was working at a restaurant. But Gourmet magazine picked it up and they thought it was very important. So I could focus on more of the details, and I was able to do that. We all learned a great deal from it. And I think if I was born with that, I got that from my mother. It was in the era of Chez Panisse, you know. I mean were the mothership, were the foundation of Thomas Keller Restaurant Group and certainly the inspiration for Per Se. Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. It had become part of the fabric of restaurants in Napa Valley, and certainly of Yountville. Thanksgiving is one of those moments thats truly about that experience around the table, that family, friends. I became the chef de cuisine of La Reserve, which is on 49th Street. So I was a little further ahead than some of the other stagiaires that were there who were much younger than I, who were more worried about how to make a veal stock or how to turn a vegetable or different things that are basic that I had already learned. And we were so proud. We have to have an American president. I said okay. Famous Restaurants Chef Thomas Keller is renowned for his famous California and New York restaurants, including The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, and Ad Hoc. Not only did I get a commercial bank loan, I also went to the Small Business Administration because I was still short on money. Sample. And I really have to thank those who nominated me: Daniel Boulud, Paul Bocuse, Jerome. What does the chef think I should choose? So of course, it wasnt going to come until 4:00 in the afternoon, so we had all day to walk around and just kind of try to patiently wait. Michelin was coming to America and we didnt know what was going to happen. Whats so great about that? Right? Now Ive got this rabbit thats got a broken leg, and Ive got to kill it and dress it. Now I think it would be casual fine dining. It was about Pauls dream realized, America reaches the podium. The following year, Michelin inspectors came to the West Coast and gave The French Laundry three stars as well. Maybe it was a plan D as an olive oil purveyor. It was a restaurant that was extraordinarily consistent. An executive chef would be somebody that would be in a position in a hotel for example, or where there are many different restaurants, and he would be the executive chef over all of the chef de cuisines from each different food and beverage outlet for example. It certainly is very gratifying to see the interest now. Do you relate your attraction to the discipline and camaraderie of the kitchen to your fathers career as a Marine? Feedback was the third discipline. Thomas Keller: I think its helped me understand and analyze what I do, and try to attach other examples of other professions to what I do, in trying to understand and elevate our profession. He was tall, masculine, broad, a good-looking Frenchman who was the executive chef of this private club. You had to deliver the dishes back to the chefs, right? 1996 - 2023 American AcademyofAchievement. So I was shuffled between very loving, dedicated, committed women, and it was really a wonderful childhood, if you will. And I walked on the property. So our job is to make sure that were choosing those ingredients of the moment. She served me one of the best sandwiches I ever had, which was beef tongue. And it was my expectations that got in the way of my experience. Thomas Keller | Thomas Keller Restaurant Group And what do you say to Paul Bocuse? Thomas Kellerdrew closer to the realization ofa longtime dream when hisTeam USA won the silver medal atthe 2015 Bocuse dOr competition in Lyon, France. Its been a great pleasure. Jean-Luc Naret was coming to San Francisco himself because he wanted to have an after party to celebrate to introduce the Michelin Guide in 2007. Theres two ways of looking at it, and I look at it both ways. It changes your life of course. Thomas Keller: The first had an odd name, so dont laugh. And really, they are the true superstars of our profession. I guess it was a much safer position for me around the dishwasher, whether it was at that early age, or more importantly, when I began to realize that I wanted to cook, at the Palm Beach Yacht Club. And of course then to finish the meal was the famous marquise au chocolat, the chocolate marquise with pistachio sauce, something that I made almost every night during my time at Taillevent. And he had great chefs that worked for him. Then youd have a sous-chef. In 2015 we finally reached the podium, the first time the Americans have ever been on the podium in France. The more choices you had, the more luxurious it was. 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. Thomas was considered too young to work as a cook so he started as a dishwasher. He likes a spoonful of Skippy peanut butter (Natural) before hitting the gym, and he believes chefs can find. As you mentioned earlier, the 1980s and 90s were a fascinating time for great food in California. 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. From the beginning, did you have the idea of doing a tasting menu, rather than a long menu of choices? And Jean-Louis Palladin came to this country in the early 70s, opened his restaurant at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. And Jean-Louis was baffled because there were no farmers, fishermen, foragers or gardeners that really connected with chefs. And Michelin first launched in New York City. And this olive oil was a small olive oil company I began to kind of keep me solvent in some ways, but also keep me motivated and keep me busy and have kind of I wouldnt even call it plan B. Now people who are interested in food and wine, theyll read the food section of The New York Times or the Chronicle or the L.A. Times or any newspaper. What was school like for you? 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. Thomas Keller: In 1977 I met my mentor, Roland Henin, who really enlightened me about what cooks do: we nurture people. This was my first three-star restaurant, and I walked in there thinking that I dont know what I was thinking. On your website theres actually a wonderfully rich list of philosophy and core values. You learn a lot from your mistakes. A Rat With a Whisk and a Dream - The New York Times Alice Waters had opened Chez Panisse, and since then the influence of that sort of sourcing, that farm-to-table cuisine, has spread far and wide. And yes, there are some restaurants around the world that would use a stage in an inappropriate way by making him stand in the corner and peel potatoes for three months, but a true stage in a restaurant that has integrity and understands their responsibility and the purpose of a stage gives you a great opportunity to learn. Each time you made it it was yours, it was not necessarily his. I said, Jonathan, youre the first chef de cuisine. And I was working for a chef who was a presence in and of himself. Theyll pick up the food guides. It was a very small kitchen, and it was a beautiful experience because it was what I related to from just returning from France. You got one more to go.. And rituals are very, very, very important. We have to be that much more determined, that much more committed to what we do every day. And its up to that organization or that chef to define what youll do. So, for example, meats or fish or vegetables or garde manger which is cold preparation, or pastry. Its reaction is to jump. Cooking wasnt the question, but could I lead a team better? Its very much like going into somebodys home. I mean it was such an emotional experience I didnt know what to do, because the rabbit screamed so loud that Paulette, the wife of the owner, came out of the house their house was just maybe 50 yards away thinking something had happened. So when you go into a restaurant like The French Laundry and you have to make a choice, its like, What do I choose? Right? Mr. Keller is 61, an age when other. He took advantage of the traditionalstagiare system in which unpaid apprentices, called stages in English, learn the skills of the classic French kitchen one by one. You're science-oriented. And it just didnt happen. Well offer a four-course menu and a five-course menu. So we started out with a menu that had up to seven or eight choices in each category. I learned that organization was really important. Most of the kitchens that I worked in always have the chef, the sous-chefs, the chef de parties, the commis, and thats a very hierarchical system where everybody looks at the chef for the direction, the sous-chefs to implement it, you know, the chef de cuisines to perform it, and the commis to support it. My mother passed away in 1982 so I had gone to France in 1983 but my father was, I have to say. In 2006, the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group continued to expand, adding the family-style restaurant Ad Hoc in Yountville, as well as outposts of Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas, and Bouchon Bakery & Caf in New York. Not even butter, and then he would buy 20 pounds of it to store in his freezer so that he could have it whenever he needed it. Traditionally, in France, is that an unpaid position? There was no real technique. With just a small four-burner stove with one oven it takes you a long time to prepare dinner. Could I interact better with those around me who influence our restaurants? How did you come to take over The French Laundry? We were open Monday through Friday. 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. We also support the Semper Fi Foundation, which is actually in Camp Pendleton. Our first year was 2009. I learned six disciplines at the dishwasher which have, I think, become a foundation for my career, and I think for many people who aspire to have success in their careers. And then of course the following summer I moved to France. Its just breathtaking to look at, very classic, the aromas, the butter, and of course you have a tin of caviar and beautiful glasses of champagne. Of course, when it tries to jump forward, Im holding a leg. So we lasted about 12 months. So at La Rive, which was a beautiful old farm on the side of a small creek, I planted my first garden. I guess you also needed to learn who your customers would be. You had to do different things at different times of the day, which began which were part of the ritual of your job. So now we increased our production from 40 items to 60 items. The following year he added two additional locations of Bouchon Bakery at The Venetian in Las Vegas while continuing to vary his commercial ventures. Oh wow, what just happened? The two would work so closely together that within a year she had moved in with him in the house behind the restaurant, and the couple have become partners in life as well as business. Culinary Skills & High Standards He is known for his meticulous attention to detail, which he says is necessary for creating a memorable dining experience. Thomas Keller: Those were two of the greatest moments of my life. And luxury to me is not having to make a choice, having somebody guide me through an experience thats going to result in something that is memorable. Very simple. The French government named him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the traditions of French cuisine and his role in elevating culinary art in America. Thomas Keller: Yeah. At the height of this you had La Cte Basque, La Caravelle, Le Cirque, La Grenouille, La Reserve, Le Perigord. We sat in their kitchen in their house next door. You have chef plumbers. Or we could stay in Paris, maybe get a phone call, but miss the celebration in New York. Right. Thomas Keller: Michelin announced that they were going to come to America. He enjoyed the teamwork of a restaurant kitchen and resolved to become a professional cook. I could go anywhere in the world and be a cook. So you know, I did different things in different kitchens, because each chef needed a stagiaire in a different way. So I gave them some and I took some. But Paul Bocuse, who has been an icon in our profession, someone who Ive always looked up to, somebody who changed the way our profession is perceived, somebody whos changed the way we eat, literally changed the way we eat, started a competition, international competition 30 28 years ago to bring the world together on an international level for a culinary competition that resulted in relationship building, in teaching, in awareness and camaraderie, and helping to expand the awareness of our profession around the world. People walking around town, he would just chat people up and, Oh, you know, my son owns The French Laundry. And they would say, Oh, can you get me a reservation? Oh yeah.
