The businessmen who had constituted the base of their clientele went looking for lower-price, more casual dining options until the economy recovered. His New York friend Serge Raoul allowed Keller to stay in his Paris apartment. But Gourmet magazine picked it up and they thought it was very important. It was a daunting task for us every day to produce this menu. I went to work at another restaurant in New York called Raphael, and this was theres a lot of Rs in my restaurant history. All the men went to the war and the women went to work. It changes your life of course. As a dishwasher you do the same thing over and over and over and over again. Thats what really we want to be able to instill, to teach our young staff is that the person standing next to you is your colleague. Of course, when it tries to jump forward, Im holding a leg. If I wasnt, I learned it from her. He started his culinary journey young -- at 15, he was already working as an apprentice pastry chef at the Relais of Poitiers hotel. And so that was over 400 people I called during that period of time. 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. It creates an anxiety in you actually. 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. Why didnt I choose to go to school? At that point you begin overeating because you want to try each one of them. We did so many different things. I had partnered with two male flight attendants who wanted to open a restaurant. 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. You opened your own restaurant in New York in 1986. Every dish, we have to be thinking about in a way that, when someone comes in, its going to relate that experience to what Ruth said, because now your expectations as a guest have become greater. Success is about giving to our team, our guests, our friends and family and community through time and commitment, advice and mentoring. 2. There was a friend here in Napa Valley who was a banker turned vintner who helped me with finance, and who helped me with putting together the financial component of the business plan. And they wanted hot dogs and hamburgers. Thomas Keller: Not really. Again, we dont know what to expect. I mean all these that are part of that repetition was what I learned as a dishwasher. Did your mother or father support your culinary ambitions? He wanted America to have a better representation at the Bocuse dOr. Thomas Keller: My father was a Marine. And he sat us down right at the first table. I could feel I have the ability to learn and to kind of expand. But it wasnt about the team that won gold. Sixth place. Each time you made it it was yours, it was not necessarily his. Rakel's refined French cuisine catered to the expensive tastes of Wall Street executives and received a two-star review from The New York Times. Thomas Keller: The books that I read as a kid were mostly adventure books. What gives you that idea? I wanted to try new things. profession evolve as American masters like Thomas Keller rise, and watch the genesis of a "chef nation" as these culinary pioneers crisscross the country to open restaurants and collaborate on special events, and legendary hangouts like Blue Ribbon become social focal points, all as the industry-altering Food Network shimmers on the horizon. 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. The Keller empire expanded to Southern California with the 2009 opening of Bouchon and Bar Bouchon in Beverly Hills. 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. What are we going to do? Its this whole process, which has really kind of made it really difficult for us to have a proper stage in the kitchen. But in retrospect it was beautiful. As time went on and we became more and more popular, we realized that we wanted to add a tasting menu. 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. We were open Monday through Friday. And of course, I make the critical mistake of only being able to grab one of the hind legs of the rabbit. The former French Laundry Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth won the Bocuse d'Or USA 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. I dont know if theres a hospitality gene as much as theres a nurturing gene. It was a wonderful restaurant. I explained my intentions. And there was another friend of mine in Los Angeles who taught me how to use a computer. The French Laundry was open almost at the same time that Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse. Thomas Keller: At 4:00 in the afternoon, we were on the West (Left) Bank, in front of one of the department stores over there I think Samaritaine or some one of the great department stores of Paris and the phone rings. But I think his favorite thing to do was really to share time, share moments with the young staff and just tell stories. He became a cook. It takes a village to build a great restaurant. A beautiful time in my life. And although I was very young, one of the things I do remember about Camp Pendleton is one of the regiments had for a mascot a tiger. That was at the beginning of that relationship with Serge Raoul. Those things. Shortly after, he opened a second Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay. Did you commit to purchasing it before you raised the money? Were you a good student? Do you relate your attraction to the discipline and camaraderie of the kitchen to your fathers career as a Marine? And we were so proud. I was already cooking now for four years. How do we respond to that? [5], 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. I became the chef of Raouls, which was, at the time an outpost in what became SoHo on Prince Street, and it was a classic, classic, French bistro in every way, and it was wonderful. Thomas Keller: Restaurants are used in so many different ways. But someone suggested I write them and I did. His father, a United States Marine, was stationed nearby at Camp Pendleton. So I didnt have rent to pay. 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. The parmesan was the grated kind that you found in the green shaker. You knew when you did a bad job and you knew when you did a good job. [25][26][27], This article is about the chef. Its an externship, if you will. It was a very small kitchen, and it was a beautiful experience because it was what I related to from just returning from France. We just received three stars. So five days a week, my meals were paid for. I gathered everybody around and I said, I think were going to have a great day tomorrow, so we opened a glass of champagne. Not only on our profession, but on the consumer, and now beginning to have an impact on the way our food is being produced, is being grown, is being delivered, and thats a very important thing for us all. Its not just about getting something to eat. That didnt last long because Bill pretty quickly sold the hotel to a German company, and of course there was a real cultural shift for me and I left, and certainly that became my jumping off point for French Laundry. Thomas Keller: We love to do Thanksgiving. The throwback restaurant had been opened in March 2019, and had been his first New York restaurant in 15 years.[19]. It jumps, right? In the same way that our U.S. Olympic athletes represent our country, we feel the same way in our profession. So, we werent away from it for too long, but long enough that so many of us forgot how important it was. And it was interesting, because at the time of the announcement, Laura and I were in France for I believe it was a Traditions et Qualit conference, which is a French association that we belong to. FAQs How did Thomas Keller become a Michelin Star chef? Thomas Keller: Michelin announced that they were going to come to America. Thomas Keller: Rakel. His employers there, Pierre and Anne-Marie Latuberne, recommended him to Ren and Paulette Macary, who operated a restaurant of their own, La Rive, in Catskill, New York during the summer season. And its up to that organization or that chef to define what youll do. That rabbit, which gave up its life, I had to make sure that I utilized it in the best way I could and every bit of it. And then going to France and in a five-and-a-half hour period producing those two proteins and serving it to 24 international judges. I became the first American chef to be at one of the great La Le restaurants in New York City. The owner was more like the owner of the restaurant that I worked at when I was in the Catskill at La Rive. So I went to talk to Bob and I gave him this whole spiel about The French Laundry and here was my business plan. The second summer I decided to go to New York City to try my hand in Manhattan, and that was when I met Serge Raoul. Living It Is Harder. And that became my inspiration every morning, because I had a dream to buy The French Laundry. June 13, 2007 FOR someone who works in a restaurant, watching a rat try to become a chef might seem like just another day at work. The rabbit story was a profound moment in my life where I learned that really deep sense of respect for everything that we have coming through our back doors. And he said, Okay, this is how much this is going to cost you. And I said, You know, Bob, I really dont have any money, but I have this olive oil. I put this olive oil on his desk and I told him about this olive oil and what I was doing with it and The French Laundry and all this. Thomas Keller: I think its that way in most classy kitchens. After his second summer at La Rive, he decided to try his luck in New York City and was hired as chef at Raouls. I wonder where that ambition came from to be the best, and why didnt you decide to go to school for that? When he was hired as chef de cuisine at La Reserve, he was the first American to lead one of New Yorks distinguished French restaurants. [1], In 2005, he was awarded the three-star rating in the inaugural Michelin Guide for New York City for his restaurant Per Se, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area for The French Laundry. In 2015 we finally reached the podium, the first time the Americans have ever been on the podium in France. What influence do you think his Marine background might have had on the discipline with which you approach your craft? Of course, when you butt heads with the owner, ultimately the owners going to throw you out and thats what he did. The chef was highly regarded, three Michelin stars. No problem. So we were always trying to fill the books in with his reservations. And still, it wasnt necessarily something that was recognized as a true profession. If youre with somebody you dont really want to be with, or theres a problem going on, your experience is diminished regardless of what I do. I spent a little time in college. Then I think thats what makes our culture so strong. How did you come to take over The French Laundry? So that was really the beginning for us of our success in Northern California. Then youd have a sous-chef. The morel mushrooms, everything was just right, and I didnt appreciate it. 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. The next day in the Lyon newspaper, the headlines: Pauls Dream Realized: America Reaches the Podium., Thomas Keller: We got silver. We had an extraordinary dinner. Oh wow, what just happened? No. Could you give a little definition of how each rank works? Were committed to one another. So as a young boy, this tiger was in this massive well, I dont want to say penned-in cage. Not everything changed every day, but the menu changed every day. 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? So your mom raised all six children by herself? And the last, not any more important than the others, was the idea of teamwork and embracing that. It could be as short as two paragraphs. Friends urged him to try his hand on the West Coast, and he accepted an offer to become executive chef of the dining facilities at the Los Angeles hotel Checkers.