Thomas Keller’s name is synonymous with quality and high standards. He is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide—for The French Laundry and Per Se—in addition to being awarded one star for The Surf Club Restaurant, becoming the most honored American chef by Michelin Guide, as well as the first American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of The French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France.

Chef Keller has earned countless accolades, including The Culinary Institute of America’s “Chef of the Year” Award, the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and “Outstanding Restaurateur” Awards, and Michelin Guide’s Chef Mentor Award. In 2001, Time Magazine named him America’s Best Chef. In 2017, Chef Keller led a team from the United States to win its first-ever gold medal in the Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious biannual competition that is regarded as the Olympics of the culinary world. For embodying the state’s spirit of innovation, he was inducted into the 2018 California Hall of Fame. In June 2019, Chef Keller became the first USA inductee into the oldest savory chef association in the world, The Master Chefs of France. He holds an honorary Doctorate in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America.

Keller began his culinary career in his teens as a dishwasher in a Palm Beach restaurant managed by his mother. In 1983, he moved to France, where he apprenticed in several Michelin- starred houses. He opened his first restaurant, Rakel, in New York City in 1986, before relocating to California to serve as Executive Chef at the Checkers Hotel in Los Angeles. In 1994, Chef Keller took ownership of The French Laundry in Yountville, and soon brought it to national and worldwide acclaim. Working in collaboration with Snøhetta, in 2019 The French Laundry unveiled a full kitchen and courtyard renovation, the first major overhaul to the historic site in over two decades.

Chef Keller’s French bistro, Bouchon, debuted in 1998, followed by Bouchon Bakery five years later. Both are within walking distance of The French Laundry. Since then, Keller has opened outposts of Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas. Another of his restaurants is family- style Ad Hoc + Addendum, also in Yountville, as well as La Calenda, a Mexican restaurant with Chef Kaelin Ulrich Trilling leading the culinary program. In 2017, Chef Keller opened Bouchon Bakeries in the Middle East with partner M.H. Alshaya Co. Celebrating Continental cuisine, The Surf Club Restaurant, opened the summer of 2018 located in Surfside, Florida and received a rating of one star from Michelin Guide Florida in 2022. He is the author of six cookbooks of which there are more than 1.5 million books in circulation-including his most recent The French Laundry, Per Se.

Known for his leadership, Chef Keller has assembled a team that shares his philosophy in his restaurants, enabling him to concentrate on interests outside of the kitchen, including his and Laura Cunningham’s Napa Valley wine label Modicum, as well as a magazine and retail outpost in Yountville, both titled Finesse. He has embarked on several innovative partnerships; most notably, Chef Keller partnered with Armando Manni, an acclaimed olive oil producer, to develop a line of bean-to-bar chocolates, K+M Extravirgin Chocolate and with leading caviar authority Shaoching Bishop to launch Regiis Ova, a line of caviar that supports sustainability and selective sourcing. In Summer 2021, Bishop and Chef Keller collaborated to debut Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne Lounge, a spirited destination for guests to experience caviar and bubbles in Yountville, CA.

Chef Keller also co-founded Cup4Cup, a line of gluten-free flour blends and mixes for home cooks that serve as substitutes for all-purpose flour. Chef Keller has formed a culinary partnership with Seabourn to help elevate the guest experience through the opening of The Grill restaurant and advising on menu items throughout the fleet. He is Brand Ambassador for Hestan where he has designed and consulted on various cookware lines, including his namesake Thomas Keller Insignia® Cookware Collection, and has a partnership with Cangshan knives, with whom he has launched the Cangshan Thomas Keller Signature Collection.

Together with restaurant designer Adam D. Tihany, he developed K+T, a collection of silver hardware and cocktail ware for Christofle Silversmiths. Chef Keller’s collaboration with Raynaud and design firm Level has led to a collection of white porcelain dinnerware called “Hommage” featured today at The French Laundry and Per Se. Chef Keller also served as a consultant on the films Spanglish and Ratatouille, the latter winning in the 2007 “Best Animated Feature Film” category at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.