Archives: Chefs

Hollingsworth recently opened his first solo project, Otium. Located in the historic Bunker Hill neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, Otium is a restaurant that strips away the formalities of fine dining while focusing on quality and execution. It is designed to be a social restaurant with a dramatic open kitchen merging indoor and outdoor spaces. The restaurant’s name, Otium, has its roots in Latin. A word that is meant to emphasize a place where time can be spent on leisurely social activities, both eating and drinking; adjacent to one of Los Angeles’ most important cultural streets — Grand Avenue — and next to its newest, most vibrant addition, the Contemporary Art Museum, The Broad.

Shortly after leaving his post at The French Laundry in 2013, Chef Timothy Hollingsworth moved to Los Angeles and opened Barrel & Ashes in 2014, an updated take on traditional American BBQ that pays homage to the food that Hollingsworth grew up on. As Chef Owner of Barrel & Ashes, Hollingsworth works alongside Chef Rory Herrmann to bring chef-driven Southern food to Studio City.

Prior to his time in LA, Hollingsworth worked as chef de cuisine of The French Laundry in Napa Valley, where led the kitchen in the continued evolution of its world-renowned cuisine. Hollingsworth exemplifies Chef Thomas Keller’s commitment to mentorship and personal development, with nearly 12 years of tenure at the restaurant. Beginning as a commis in 2001, Hollingsworth learned from former chefs de cuisine Eric Ziebold and Corey Lee, internalizing the heritage of the restaurant’s cuisine. In 2004, Keller selected Hollingsworth as part of a core team that traveled to New York City to train and prepare for the opening of his fine dining establishment in Manhattan, Per Se.

During his time off from The French Laundry, Hollingsworth would travel around Europe and staged under acclaimed European Chefs including Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay. In 2008, Hollingsworth competed in the Bocuse d’Or USA, where he was awarded the opportunity to represent the United States at the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest— the biennial global cooking competition first envisioned in 1987 by revered French chef Paul Bocuse. Hollingsworth subsequently completed a rigorous training process, during which he worked with some of the industry’s most influential figures. In early 2009, Hollingsworth traveled to Lyon, France to compete in the prestigious event, where he placed sixth out of 24 prominent chef teams from around the world.

In his current role, he looks forward to being a mentor to the next generation of aspiring cooks. Hollingsworth recently received the Rising Star Chef Award from The San Francisco Chronicle as well as the Rising Star Chef of the Year Award presented by the James Beard Foundation.

Chef Philip Tessier won international acclaim in 2015, winning the Silver Bocuse at the Bocuse d’Or, the world’s most difficult culinary competition. Just a few points shy of gold, Chef Tessier became the first American ever to mount the podium in the 30 year history of the competition. In 2017, Chef Tessier returned as Head Coach for Team USA and again was a part of history as the United States at last won gold, establishing America as the new standard bearers at the Bocuse d’Or. His newly released book, Chasing Bocuse: America’s Journey to the Culinary World Stage, offers a behind the scenes view of this incredible journey in pursuit of establishing America as the new standard bearers at the Bocuse d’Or.

Tessier’s culinary career began at the Williamsburg Inn in Virginia, before enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Over the course of three decades, Tessier has worked at some of the world’s most renowned restaurants including Roger Verge’s Le Moulin de Mougins, Eric Ripert’s Le Bernadin, as well as Thomas Keller’s Per Se, Bouchon and The French Laundry.

Today, Tessier is a founding member and Director of Culinary and Media at Hestan Smart Cooking, adding his culinary expertise to a talented team of engineers and scientists to develop a new platform for cooking in the home. Tessier is also in the beginning stages of pursuing his lifetime dream of establishing his own restaurant and mentoring the next generation of chefs in America.

Raised in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Richard Rosendale was exposed to strong culinary cultures at an early age, with one Italian and one German grandmother nurturing his love of food (not to mention a woodworking grandfather with a knack for charcuterie). Chef Rosendale eventually became one of the most experienced competitive chefs in the country—leading the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team, representing the United States in the Bocuse d’Or in January 2013, and accruing more than 50 national and international awards for his cooking.

Chef Rosendale opened two restaurants at 31 before settling firmly into a leadership position at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where he oversaw the most epic culinary turnaround in the resort’s history. As executive chef and director of food and beverage, Chef Rosendale directed 13 kitchens, led the opening of five new restaurants, orchestrated food production for three PGA Tour events, and supervised The Greenbrier’s highly influential culinary apprenticeship program.

Chef Rosendale is one of only 67 certified master chefs in the United States. He currently stars in CBS’s Recipe Rehab and is the founder of Rosendale Collective, which provides private dining, restaurant partnerships, and training services.

Michelle Karr-Ueoka was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her passion for cooking was ignited after an externship at Alan Wong’s. Pursuing her dream, Michelle trained at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and externed at The French Laundry. She rejoined Alan Wong’s where she spent 6 years on the savory side. Moving again, back to New York, she staged at Thomas Keller’s Per Se. It is here that she realized her passion for pastry, and has never looked back. In 2012 Michelle received the Rising Star Chef Award from StarChefs.com as a Pastry Chef.

In October 2013, Michelle Karr-Ueoka and husband Chef Wade Ueoka opened their first joint venture, MW Restaurant in Honolulu where they specialize in Hawaii Regional Cuisine. In February 2014, MW Restaurant was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for Best New Restaurant, and Michelle for Outstanding Pastry Chef. She once again was nominated in 2015 for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

Justin Cogley joined Aubergine restaurant in January 2011. As Executive Chef he oversees Aubergine and all of L’Auberge Carmel’s culinary programs.

Cogley comes to Carmel by way of Chicago, Illinois, where he was instrumental in opening the Elysian Hotel’s new kitchen as Executive Sous Chef. He previously worked at Charlie Trotter’s critically acclaimed restaurant for four years, claiming the position of Chef de Cuisine for the last two. As such, he was responsible for menu creation, special events, and extensive instruction and management of the culinary staff.

Cogley recently became an avid triathlete and long-distance runner and competed in numerous West Coast races. He also created a culinary event: Rediscovering Coastal Cuisine where he invites talented chefs from around the country to come together and collaborate on a twelve-course tasting menu that explores and celebrates the unique biodiversity of California’s Central Coast.

Under the direction of Chef Cogley and his team, Aubergine has enjoyed substantial acclaim. In early 2015 they were nominated for three James Beard Foundation awards including Best Chef, West. 2014 saw Aubergine earn Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence and Forbes Travel Guide’s highest Five-Star rating recognizing excellence in restaurants. Also in 2014 L’Auberge Carmel was named Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards as a Top 100 Hotels Overall and one of the Top Resorts in the Continental United State. In 2013, Cogley was awarded the prestigious title of Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux, joining an esteemed list of internationally celebrated chefs and Food & Wine magazine named Justin Cogley “Best New Chef”.

Former Executive Chef, The NoMad
Former Chef De Cuisine, Eleven Madison Park

A native New Yorker, James Kent started his culinary career as a summer apprentice at Bouley when he was 15 years old. After taking classes at the Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris and graduating from Johnson and Wales, Kent moved back to New York where he spent time in the kitchens of Babbo, Jean Georges, and Gordon Ramsay.
Kent joined the team at Eleven Madison Park as a line cook in the spring of 2007 and was quickly promoted to sous chef. In 2011, Kent was chosen to represent the United States at the international finals of the Bocuse D’Or in Lyon, France. After a full year of training for this culinary competition, he placed tenth in the world.
Upon returning to New York, James was named chef de cuisine of Eleven Madison Park and during his time there, the restaurant received numerous accolades including four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and a coveted spot on the San Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. James was promoted to Executive Chef of the NoMad in the fall of 2013. Under his leadership the NoMad was awarded a michelin Star each year, and was considered one of the top 100 restaurants in the world, being ranked 62.
Kent is in the process of using his 20 plus years of restaurant experience to build his flagship restaurant that will be opening in the coming year in New York.

Chef Peters grew up in Meadville, Pennsylvania and began cooking as a teenager with his family. Chef Peters enrolled in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh. Upon graduation, he moved to Naples, Florida where he worked for the Ritz Carlton in the infamous Dining Room among many other notable chefs.
After years of honing his skills in Naples, he set his sights on New York City and took his first job in the city at Alain Ducasse’s restaurant, Adour. He continued to work at Adour until he was offered a position at Per Se in 2009. He spent over 2 years at The French Laundry, and was promoted back to Per Se as the Executive Sous Chef in February 2013.
In 2015, Chef Peters competed in the US finals and won the coveted spot to represent the United States in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or, the Olympics of the culinary world. Chef Peters went on to become the first American in the history of the competition to ever win Gold in 2017, a huge accomplishment for American cuisine on such a global stage. Now that his Bocuse d’Or journey is complete, he is now working on opening his own restaurant in Austin, Texas.

There is nothing quite like the frenetic and fleeting seasonality of the upper Midwest to inspire a soulful cook. For Chef Gavin Kaysen, an old soul at heart, this idea beckoned him back home to Minneapolis to open Spoon and Stable, a 2015 James Beard Award Finalist for Best New Restaurant, in the North Loop neighborhood in fall 2014. “Cooking is very emotional for me; I have to cook how I feel,” Kaysen says. “There’s something to be said for how you feel emotionally as one season gives way to the next, when it snows, rains, or is sunny. I never thought about that growing up here, but coming back, I see that now.”

Even though the award-winning chef has cooked in top kitchens throughout the U.S. and Europe, Kaysen gravitates most toward traditional Heartland dishes—the kind he grew up eating and cooking. “I love the classics. Starting with my grandmother, we always cooked very classical American dishes, like pot roast and chicken. I’m taking the knowledge I have now to shift, change, and morph those at Spoon and Stable.”

The chef refined his dexterity in contemporary American fine dining by dedicating time to some of the world’s best restaurants. After graduating in 2001 from the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, VT, Kaysen worked at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, CA; L’Auberge de Lavaux in Lausanne, Switzerland; and the famed L’Escargot in London, before becoming executive chef at El Bizcocho in San Diego, where he was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs. In late 2007, he joined Chef Daniel Boulud as chef de cuisine of Café Boulud in New York City, where he later earned the James Beard Rising Star Chef award and a coveted Michelin star. While there, he discovered so much more than tangible, technical skills. “It was like getting my master’s and PhD with Daniel and his organization,” he explains. “I learned so much about hospitality, about the business, cooking—but more importantly, I learned a lot about soulful food. When he cooks, it’s all about spontaneity, which I have discovered is how I really thrive, too.”

Today, Kaysen helps the next generation of young culinarians refine their skills in the kitchen. He is one of the founding mentors of the nonprofit ment’or BKB Foundation (formerly Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation), for which he currently serves as Team USA’s head coach in preparing for the famed biennial culinary competition that showcases the world’s best up-and-coming chefs. Kaysen brings an intimate knowledge of the Bocuse d’Or competition, as he proudly represented the U.S. in 2007. In 2015, he successfully led Team USA to a record-breaking Second Place victory, the first medal and podium placement for the United States. 2015 set the stage for future success, and in 2017 Team USA claimed first place for the very first time.

Bellecour, Kaysen’s second restaurant, opened in spring 2017. The French bistro is a nod to his friends and mentors Chefs Daniel Boulud and Paul Bocuse, as well as their time spent together in Lyon, France.

Kaysen lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he tends to the strawberries, peppers, zucchini, cilantro, basil, thyme, rosemary, and tomatoes growing in his home garden.