Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

, and

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

author. He and his landmark

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...

, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant is a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World."Thomas Keller and The French Laundry Awards"
. Venetian.com. In 2005, he was awarded the three-star rating in the inaugural

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...

for New York City for his restaurant

Per Se Per se may refer to: * ''per se'', a Latin phrase meaning "by itself" or "in itself". * Illegal ''per se'', the legal usage in criminal and antitrust law * Negligence ''per se'', legal use in tort law *Per Se (restaurant), a New York City restauran ...

, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area for The French Laundry. He is the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three-star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants. 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.

Early life and career

Keller's mother was a restaurateur who employed Thomas as help when her cook got sick. Four years after his parents divorced, the family moved east and settled in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intrac ...

. In his teenage summers, he worked at the Palm Beach Yacht Club starting as a dishwasher and quickly moving up to cook. It was here he discovered his passion for cooking and perfection of the

hollandaise sauce Hollandaise sauce ( or ; ), also called Dutch sauce, is a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice (or a white wine or vinegar reduction). It is usually seasoned with salt, and either white pepper or cayenne pepper. It is well kn ...

. During summers, he worked as a cook in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. One summer, he was discovered by French-born Master Chef

Roland Henin Roland G. Henin is an American chef, and the corporate chef and chief culinary ambassador for Delaware North Companies. He is one of approximately 60 certified master chefs in the U.S. and has been recognized as an accomplished chef, culinary teach ...

and was tasked to cook staff meals at The Dunes Club. Under Henin's study, Keller learned the fundamentals of classical

French cooking French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the r ...

. 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 The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

valley in Catskill, New York. Thomas worked alone with the couple's grandmother as prep cook. Given free rein, he built a smokehouse to

cure A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cured. The ...

meats, developed relationships with local livestock purveyors and learned to cook entrails and

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

under his old mentor, Roland Henin, who would drop by on occasional weekends. After three years at La Rive, unable to buy it from the owners, he left and moved to New York and then Paris, apprenticing at various

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larg ...

-starred restaurants. After returning to America in 1984, he was hired as chef de cuisine at La Reserve in New York, before leaving to open Rakel in early 1987. Rakel's refined French cuisine catered to the expensive tastes of

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for ...

executives and received a two-star review from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Its popularity waned as the

stock market A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include ''securities'' listed on a public stock exchange, ...

bottomed out and at the end of the 1980s, Keller left, unwilling to compromise his style of cooking to simple

bistro A bistro or bistrot , is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods ...

fare.

The French Laundry

Following the split with his partner at Rakel, Keller took various consultant and chef positions in New York and Los Angeles. In the spring of 1992 he came upon a restaurant in Yountville, California founded by Sally Schmitt, in a space formerly occupied by an old French stream

laundry Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with ...

. She and her husband Don purchased the building in 1978 and converted it into a restaurant. Keller spent nineteen months raising $1.2 million from acquaintances and investors to purchase the restaurant, then re-opened it in 1994. Over the next few years the restaurant earned numerous awards, including from the

, gourmet magazines, the Mobil Guide (five stars), and the

(three stars). In April 2009, Keller became engaged to longtime girlfriend and former general manager at the French Laundry, Laura Cunningham.

Other restaurants and pursuits

Food and dining

After the success of The French Laundry, Thomas and his brother, Joseph Keller (currently owner/chef of Josef's in Las Vegas), opened Bouchon in 1998. Located down the street from The French Laundry, it serves moderately priced French bistro fare, with Bouchon Bakery opening next door a few years later (in 2006 Keller opened a branch of the bakery in the Time Warner Center in Manhattan). Keller has joked in the past that the motivation for Bouchon's opening was to give him somewhere to eat after work at The French Laundry. On January 26, 2004, Keller opened his restaurant Bouchon in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

. On February 16, 2004, Keller's much-anticipated

restaurant opened in the

Time Warner Center Deutsche Bank Center (also One Columbus Circle and formerly Time Warner Center) is a mixed-use building on Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City. The building occupies the western side of Columbus Circle and straddles the border between ...

complex in New York under the helm of Keller's Chef de Cuisine, Jonathan Benno. Per Se, which was designed from scratch and custom-built as part of the overall construction process, was an immediate hit on the New York restaurant scene, with reservations booked months in advance and publications including ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' and ''

'' giving rave reviews. The latest restaurant, "

ad hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with ''a priori''.) Com ...

", opened in September 2006 in Yountville with a different fixed price

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may a ...

dinner served family style every night. Originally intended to be a temporary project while Keller planned his lifelong dream restaurant for the location, serving

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...

s and wine, he decided to make ad hoc permanent and find a new location for the hamburger restaurant due to its popularity. *Yountville, CA: ad hoc, addendum, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, The French Laundry, La Calenda *New York: Bouchon Bakery, Per Se, TAK Room (closed) *Las Vegas: Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery *Miami: The Surf Club Prior to the opening of The French Laundry, Thomas Keller started a small olive oil company called EVO, Inc. in 1992, with his girlfriend of the time, to distribute Provençal-style

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...

and

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple gr ...

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

. Recently, Keller started marketing a line of signature white Limoges porcelain dinnerware by Raynaud called ''Hommage Point'' (in homage to French chef and restaurateur,

Fernand Point Fernand Point (, 25 February 1897 – 4 March 1955) was a French chef and restaurateur and is considered to be the father of modern French cuisine. He founded the restaurant La Pyramide in Vienne near Lyon. Early life He was born in Louhan ...

) that he helped and a collection of silver hollow ware by Christofle. He has also attached his name to a set of signature knives manufactured by MAC. Keller is the president of the Bocuse d'Or U.S. team and was responsible for recruiting and training the 2009 candidates. The former French Laundry

Chef de Cuisine A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads and manages the kitchen and chefs of a restaurant or hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities ...

Timothy Hollingsworth Timothy Hollingsworth (born, January 30, 1980) is an American chef and restaurateur. In 2012, he left his post as Chef de Cuisine at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry and moved to Los Angeles, where he opened Otium. He has won multiple awar ...

won the

Bocuse d'Or USA The Bocuse d'Or USA is a biennial chef championship, where the winner is selected to represent the U.S. in the international Bocuse d'Or competition. Following 20 years of American representation in the competition, in 2008 Paul Bocuse asked Dani ...

semi-finals in 2008, and represented the U.S. in the world finals in January 2009 under Keller's supervision where he placed 6th, equaling the best performance of the U.S. in the contest to date.Cowin, Diana, ''Food & Wine'' (February 2009)
Competing at the Bocuse d’Or: Team USA’s Unbeatable Recipes
/ref>Vallis, Alexandra, ''New York Magazine'': Grub Street (November 6, 2008)

/ref> On describing his reasons for accepting the Bocuse d'Or Team USA presidency, Keller stated, "When Chef

aul An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia. The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic languages. Auyl ( kk, Ауы� ...

Bocuse calls you on the phone and says he’d like you to be president of the American team, you say, ‘Oui, chef’. He's the role model, the icon".Sciolino, Elaine, ''The New York Times'' (January 26, 2009)
High Hopes for American Team in Bocuse d’Or Cooking Competition
/ref> In 2012 he announced he was at the point of his career when it was time to step away from the kitchen. 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." He permanently closed his restaurant TAK Room, located in Hudson Yards, during the coronavirus pandemic. The throwback restaurant had been opened in March 2019, and had been his first New York restaurant in 15 years.

Publishing and film

In 1999, Thomas Keller published ''

The French Laundry Cookbook ''The French Laundry Cookbook'' is a 1999 cookbook written by American chefs Thomas Keller, Michael Ruhlman, and Susie Heller; illustrated by Deborah Jones. The book features recipes from Keller's restaurant The French Laundry. It won the 2000 Int ...

'', which he considers his definitive book on cuisine. That year it won three

International Association of Culinary Professionals The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a United States-based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage. History The organizati ...

(IACP) awards for Cookbook of the Year,

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

"First Cookbook" Award, and Design Award. In 2004 he published "The Bouchon Cookbook," although he gives most of the credit to Bouchon chef Jeffrey Cerciello. Other cookbooks that he has written or contributed are ''The Food Lover's Companion to the Napa Valley'', '' Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide'', '' Ad Hoc at Home'' (2009) and '' Bouchon Bakery'' (2012). He provided an introduction or foreword to ''The Vineyard Kitchen: Menus Inspired by the Seasons'' by Maria Helm Sinskey, "Happy in the Kitchen" by Michel Richard, "Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts" by Claire Clark (head pastry chef at The French Laundry), the new publication of "Ma Gastronomie" by Fernand Point, "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing" by Micheal Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. He is also featured in "My Last Supper" by Melanie Dunea. Working on the film ''

Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is m ...

'', Keller designed and taught star

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

to cook what is often called "the world's greatest sandwich", as a plausible example of what a talented bachelor gourmet might cook for himself. The sandwich resembles a typical

BLT A BLT is a type of sandwich, named for the initials of its primary ingredients, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It can be made with varying recipes according to personal preference. Simple variants include using different types of lettuce, toastin ...

, with the addition of a fried egg. In an interview with ''Vogue Man Arabia'' he described the BLT as "the perfect sandwich". Keller served as a consultant for the 2007

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

animated film ''

Ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables which originated in Nice, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include ...

'', allowing the producer to intern in the French Laundry kitchen and designing a fancy layered version of ratatouille, "

confit byaldi Confit byaldi is a variation on the traditional French dish ratatouille by French chef Michel Guérard. History The name is a play on the Turkish dish " İmam bayıldı", which is a stuffed eggplant. The original ratatouille recipe had the ...

", for the characters to cook. In the American version he plays a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

as a restaurant patron (the part is played by one of Keller's mentors Guy Savoy in the French version, and

Ferran Adrià Ferran Adrià i Acosta (; born 14 May 1962) is a Spanish chef. He was the head chef of the ''El Bulli'' restaurant in Roses, Girona, Roses on the Costa Brava and is considered one of the best chefs in the world. He has often collaborated with h ...

in the Spanish one). Keller currently has three online cooking classes at Masterclass.com, pursuing his belief in teaching.

Awards

* Best American Chef: California,

, 1996 * Outstanding Chef: America, James Beard Foundation, 1997 * Chef of the Year, '' Bon Appétit Magazine'', 1998 * Voted #1 – Top Food, ''

Zagat The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, coverin ...

Guide to the Bay Area'', 1998–2003 * Five-Star Award, '' Mobil Travel Guide'', 1999–2004 * Favorite Restaurant – Restaurant Experts' Poll, ''

Food & Wine Magazine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...

'', 2000 * Top Restaurant for Food, ''

Wine Spectator Magazine ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

'', 2000 * America's Best Chef, ''

TIME Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'', 2001 * Outstanding Wine Service Award, James Beard Foundation, 2001 * Outstanding Service Award, James Beard Foundation, 2003 * Best Restaurant in the World (French Laundry), '' Restaurant Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants of the World'', 2003, 2004 * Best Restaurant in the Americas (French Laundry), '' Restaurant Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants of the World'', 2005–2008 * Best New Restaurant (Per Se), James Beard Foundation, 2005 * Outstanding Restaurant (French Laundry), James Beard Foundation, 2006 *

New York, 3 Stars for Per Se, November 2005 – Current * 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) '' Restaurant Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants of the World'' *

Culinary Hall of Fame Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

Induction. * Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

, 2014

Bibliography

* Keller, T. '' Bouchon Bakery''. Artisan Publishers, 2012. * Keller, T. '' Ad Hoc at Home''. Artisan Publishers, 2009. * Keller, T. '' Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide''. Artisan Publishers, 2008. * Keller, T. ''Bouchon''. Artisan Publishers, 2004. * Keller, T. ''

''. Artisan Publishers, 1999.

References

External links

Thomas Keller on Said Search
nbsp;– Searchable list of Thomas Keller Interviews
Interview by ''Restaurant Insider'' magazine: January 2006

Charlie Rose interview: March 26, 2008

Google Authors: Thomas Keller: May 19, 2009

60 Minutes: Inside Thomas Keller's Restaurants: November 20, 2011

60 Minutes: Visiting the Theater of the Mouth: February 11, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Thomas Chefs from California American male chefs American restaurateurs People from Yountville, California Cuisine of the San Francisco Bay Area 1955 births Living people Chefs of French cuisine Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant groups in the United States Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants Culinary Institute of America people James Beard Foundation Award winners International Association of Culinary Professionals award winners Chefs from Rhode Island