Thomas Keller life and biography

Thomas Keller is a well known American chef, restaurateur, and also cookbook writer.

He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, 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.

In 1994, Keller opened the French Laundry in Yountville, which quickly became a destination restaurant. His French bistro Bouchon debuted down the street in 1998, with Bouchon Bakery following five years later. He now has eight restaurants and two bakeries in the US, including Ad Hoc also located in Yountville, Per Se and Bouchon Bakery in New York City, and outposts of Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas. In November 2009, Keller opened Bouchon in Beverly Hills, and introduced his newest concept Bar Bouchon next door.

Keller is a man of exceptionally high personal standards and values genuine collaboration. He has successfully assembled an expert staff that shares his philosophy and vision, enabling him to concentrate on his many varied interests. He is the author of the award-winning The French Laundry and Bouchon cookbooks, as well as Under Pressure, on sous-vide cooking. In November 2009, he released his fourth cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home, featuring family-style recipes. The title has been nominated for the IACP and James Beard awards and appeared on the New York Times Best-Sellers lists for six weeks.

Keller has collaborated with Raynaud and the design firm Level on a collection of white porcelain dinnerware called Hommage. He has launched Modicum, a Napa Valley Cabernet, and consulted on two films, Spanglish and Ratatouille.


Thomas was awarded :

Best American Chef: California, James Beard Foundation, 1996
Outstanding Chef: America, James Beard Foundation, 1997
Chef of the Year, Bon Appétit Magazine, 1998
Voted #1 – Top Food, Zagat Guide to the Bay Area, 1998–2003
Five-Star Award, Mobil Travel Guide, 1999–2004
Favorite Restaurant – Restaurant Experts' Poll, Food & Wine Magazine, 2000
Top Restaurant for Food, Wine Spectator Magazine, 2000
America's Best Chef, TIME Magazine, 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
Michelin Guide New York, 3 Stars for Per Se, November 2005 – 2011
Michelin Guide Bay Area, 3 Stars for The French Laundry, 2006–2011
Michelin Guide Bay Area, 1 Star for Bouchon, 2008–2011
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

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