Thomas Aloysius Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. 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 was a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World; the voting process has since been changed to disallow previous winners from being considered.
James Daniel Bowien is a chef and restaurateur. He is the founder and owner of Mission Chinese Food in New York City and Brooklyn and co-founder of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco, California. Bowien is a James Beard Award winner, and the main subject of season six of the food and travel show The Mind of a Chef.
Melissa Perello is an American chef, she is best known for holding a Michelin star at her restaurant Frances in San Francisco. She had previously won a star at restaurant Fifth Floor, and has won awards from both Chronicles and Food & Wine magazines.
State Bird Provisions is a San Francisco restaurant founded by chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.
Mister Jiu's is a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, San Francisco. It specializes in Cantonese cuisine blended with modern Californian twists.
Hayato is a Michelin Guide-starred Japanese and seafood/sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, California. It's chef and owner is Brandon Hayato Go. The restaurant is located in the ROW DTLA commercial district and serves traditional Kaiseki style of multi-course dinner.
Commis is a Michelin Guide-starred restaurant in Oakland, in the U.S. state of California.
Birdsong is a Michelin Guide-starred restaurant in San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California.
Acquerello is a Michelin Guide-starred Italian restaurant in San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California.
Jeune et Jolie is a Michelin Guide-starred French restaurant in Carlsbad, California.
Soichi is a Michelin Guide-starred Japanese restaurant in San Diego, California.
Sushi Tadokoro is a Japanese restaurant in San Diego, California.
Orsa & Winston is a Michelin Guide-starred restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Led by chef Josef Centeno, it specializes in blending Japanese and Italian dishes with influences from each of the two cuisines.
Q Sushi is a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, California.
Osteria Mozza is a Michelin Guide-starred Italian restaurant in Hollywood, California.
Nozawa Bar is a Michelin Guide-starred omakase-style Japanese restaurant in Beverly Hills, California.
Al's Place, commonly stylized AL's Place, was a New American restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District, in the U.S. state of California. Aaron London was the owner.
Chez Noir is a restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, in the U.S. state of California. It has received a Michelin star, and was a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category of the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2024.
