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Thomas Keller
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Thomas Keller, 51, is the chef and owner of two of the most highly regarded restaurants in the United States: the French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., and Per Se in New York. Each currently holds three Michelin stars, making him the only American chef to have two three-star restaurants to his name. Keller is ... chef and owner of Ad Hoc, Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery, also in Yountville; Bouchon in Las Vegas; and Bouchon Bakery in New York. Keller first learned to cook alongside his mother, in the Palm Beach restaurant that she managed, and later was a stagiere in France, at Taillevent, Guy Savoy and Le Pré Catelan. He cooked in New York in the 1980s, eventually opening his own restaurant, Rakel, before departing for the West Coast to become the executive chef at Checkers Hotel in Los Angeles. Keller purchased the French Laundry in 1994, to realize his vision of a French country restaurant in the Napa Valley.
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Thomas Keller, of Napa Valley's French Laundry, is one of America's best known, most revered chefs. His legions of admirers watch his every move, chase down his purveyors and wait anxiously for his next opening. So here's a scoop for all you Keller fans: This summer, he'll open a butcher shop across the street from his Bouchon bistro in Yountville, selling his favorite cuts of meat as well as cheeses and prepared foods like French vegetable galettes. The place will have a farmers' table that groups can reserve for the night; the menu might include specialties of the shop, like roast wagyu beef. Rumor has it that Keller, who is a huge devotee of the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger, will ... be launching a burger joint of his own in the Napa area. In-N-Out doesn't serve wine (the bottle in the above photo is just a prop), but Keller's new place will—and it will be featuring half-bottles like the French Laundry's first and currently only house label, a chocolaty Cabernet Sauvignon called Modicum.
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Thomas Keller has no formal culinary training because when he started cooking there weren't many schools to attend. Although the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) had just been founded and there were a few apprenticeship programs available, Keller was unaware of these possibilities. Instead, when his mother, who ran a restaurant, asked him if he wanted to be a chef and he said yes, she replied, "Here you go, you're the chef. Now learn how to cook."
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Thomas Keller became chef/owner of the French Laundry in Yountville, California, in 1994. In 1998, Keller opened the casual bistro called Bouchon. In 2004, he opened Per Se in New York City. In late 2005, Per Se became one of only four restaurants in Manhattan to receive the much-coveted three stars from the Michelin Guide. Jeffrey Cerciello has cooked with Thomas Keller for ten years, first at the French Laundry and since 1998 as executive chef of Bouchon in Yountville, California. Cerciello opened the second Bouchon in Las Vegas, at The Venetian Hotel-Resort-Casino, in spring 2004.
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Remarking on his performance in the 2005 World Series of Poker, Thomas Keller says that although he did not play very well in the event, he was satisfied with his overall performance. He showed up late, at around 12.40 p.m. just in time to catch two hands before the first break. According to him, the hand that went against him was the first one after the break. He says that the blinds were $50-$100. He decided to bet $500 which was about half the pot, into his two opponents. The first player made it $1500 and the other one folded, putting the ball in his court again.
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Thomas Keller is cleary both a genius and a perfectionist in the kitchen. The recipes require special equipment, such as pastry rings, a tamis, a china cap, a chinois, a silpat, squeeze bottles, and others. Most of the recipes involve 3 or 4 or 5 parts, some recipes take multiple days to complete.
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Thomas Keller