FRENCH LAUNDRY





THOMAS KELLER RECEIVES HIGHEST HONORS FROM
BEARD FOUNDATION AWARDS
First Chef With Consecutive "Best Chef" Awards

 
Yountville, Ca -- Thomas Keller, chef and owner of The French Laundry in the Napa Valley, was named the "Farberware Outstanding Chef of the Year" at the James Beard Foundation Awards in New York City. The prestigious Outstanding Chef award is the highest honor given to an American chef by the foundation. This is the second consecutive award to be given to Chef Keller, who received the Beard Foundation’s "Best Chef: California" Award. No other chef has received consecutive "Best Chef" Awards in the Foundation’s history.

The James Beard Foundation Awards honor chefs and restaurants in a variety of categories each year and are widely considered the highest recognition bestowed on culinary professionals.

After winning the award, Keller, who is rarely absent from The French Laundry, reflected on his idea of running a restaurant: "I hope this is a turning point signaling a change in the way people look at the restaurant business. A restaurant doesn’t have to be a mega-store. It can be an intimate place where the chef is just doing great food."


Keller has earned critical national acclaim since opening The French Laundry in 1994. The restaurant has been called Napa Valley’s version of a three star country French restaurant, and Keller’s innovative cooking style and dedication to The French Laundry have earned him recognition and respect throughout the culinary world.

 
Keller and The French Laundry have received four star ratings from the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner. He has been featured by the New York Times and Wine Spectator and on NBC’s Today Show. He is also the founder and owner of EVO, Inc., a nationally distributed retail line of extra virgin California olive oils and premium vinegars.

The French Laundry is located in a turn of the century stone building, surrounded by lush gardens in the heart of the Napa Valley at 6640 Washington St., Yountville, CA.