Daniel Patterson (chef)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Patterson is an American chef
, restaurateur
, and food writer, considered a leading proponent of California cuisine
.
A self-taught chef, Patterson was born in Lynn, Massachusetts
. His mother was a French and history teacher, and his father was a lawyer. He says his family's frequent travels to France influenced his views on food. He began working as a restaurant dishwasher at age 14, and attended Duke University
before dropping out. In 1989 he moved to Sonoma, California
with then-girlfriend (and later wife) Elizabeth Ramsey. With Ramsey, Patterson opened Babette's, a French
-inspired restaurant, in Sonoma in 1994 at age 25, then closed it in 1999 when his lease expired. Wine Spector described as a "top" restaurant in the town. Patterson and Ramsey opened Elisabeth Daniel in 2000, and closed it on New Years Day, 2004 due to slow business despite a strong reputation. He was opening chef at Frisson, a short-lived restaurant that incorporated elements of aromatherapy
and molecular gastronomy
.
Coi, which he opened in 2006, earned two Michelin stars, and was one of several restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area
to earn four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle
. Patterson describes its concept as combining haute cuisine
, an emphasis on local vegetables, a modern aesthetic, and a personal approach to cooking, with "a casual, neighborhood feeling". The approach was uncommon at the time, but later became a hallmark of Northern California restaurants. His cooking at Coi involves foraging
for wild ingredients, using aromas and essential oil
s (including asking patrons to rub grapefruit oil on their hands before a dish, or placing inedible fragrant flowers on a dish), and making his own ingredients (for example, butter churned in-house).
He opened an informal rotisserie
, Il Cane Rosso ("the red dog" in Italian
), in the San Francisco Ferry Building with co-owner Lauren Kiino, and Plum in Oakland, California
in 2010.
Patterson also writes about food. He is an occasional contributor to New York Times Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine
, and San Francisco Magazine. In 2004 he wrote The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance together with co-author Mandy Aftel
, a noted perfume maker. "To the Moon, Alice" (a reference to Alice Waters
of Chez Panisse
) published in 2005, generated considerable controversy for criticizing the tendency of San Francisco restaurants to copy the Chez Panisse style and approach, which he said resulted in self-righteousness over ingredients and a lack of creativity, complexity, or technical finesse. He also criticized San Francisco diners for avoiding food they considered too fancy, while paying similar prices for restaurants that featured home-style cooking, as a form of affected populism
. One quote from the essay that is often repeated is: "so deeply embedded is the mythology of Chez Panisse in the DNA of local food culture that it threatens to smother stylistic diversity and extinguish the creativity that it originally sought to spark.”
Patterson lives in Oakland, California
, and is married to litigation attorney Alexandra Foote.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
, and food writer, considered a leading proponent of California cuisine
California Cuisine
California cuisine is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine and in the use of freshly prepared local ingredients.The food is typically prepared with strong attention to presentation...
.
A self-taught chef, Patterson was born in Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
. His mother was a French and history teacher, and his father was a lawyer. He says his family's frequent travels to France influenced his views on food. He began working as a restaurant dishwasher at age 14, and attended Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
before dropping out. In 1989 he moved to Sonoma, California
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
with then-girlfriend (and later wife) Elizabeth Ramsey. With Ramsey, Patterson opened Babette's, a French
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
-inspired restaurant, in Sonoma in 1994 at age 25, then closed it in 1999 when his lease expired. Wine Spector described as a "top" restaurant in the town. Patterson and Ramsey opened Elisabeth Daniel in 2000, and closed it on New Years Day, 2004 due to slow business despite a strong reputation. He was opening chef at Frisson, a short-lived restaurant that incorporated elements of aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health....
and molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in...
.
Coi, which he opened in 2006, earned two Michelin stars, and was one of several restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
to earn four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. Patterson describes its concept as combining haute cuisine
Haute cuisine
Haute cuisine or grande cuisine was characterised by French cuisine in elaborate preparations and presentations served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical staffs at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe.The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne...
, an emphasis on local vegetables, a modern aesthetic, and a personal approach to cooking, with "a casual, neighborhood feeling". The approach was uncommon at the time, but later became a hallmark of Northern California restaurants. His cooking at Coi involves foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
for wild ingredients, using aromas and essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s (including asking patrons to rub grapefruit oil on their hands before a dish, or placing inedible fragrant flowers on a dish), and making his own ingredients (for example, butter churned in-house).
He opened an informal rotisserie
Rotisserie
Rotisserie is a style of roasting where meat is skewered on a spit - a long solid rod used to hold food while it is being cooked over a fire in a fireplace or over a campfire, or roasted in an oven. This method is generally used for cooking large joints of meat or entire animals, such as pigs,...
, Il Cane Rosso ("the red dog" in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
), in the San Francisco Ferry Building with co-owner Lauren Kiino, and Plum in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in 2010.
Patterson also writes about food. He is an occasional contributor to New York Times Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine
Food & Wine Magazine
Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
, and San Francisco Magazine. In 2004 he wrote The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance together with co-author Mandy Aftel
Mandy Aftel
Mandy Aftel is a leading natural perfumer and author of three books on natural perfume. Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume has been translated into seven languages, won the 2001 Sense of Smell Institute's Richard B...
, a noted perfume maker. "To the Moon, Alice" (a reference to Alice Waters
Alice Waters
Alice Louise Waters is an American chef, restaurateur, activist, and author. She is the owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its organic, locally-grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine.Waters opened the restaurant in 1971. It has consistently ranked...
of Chez Panisse
Chez Panisse
Chez Panisse is a Berkeley, California restaurant known for using local, organic foods and credited as the inspiration for the style of cooking known as California cuisine. Well-known restauranteur, author, and food activist Alice Waters co-founded Chez Panisse in 1971 with film producer Paul...
) published in 2005, generated considerable controversy for criticizing the tendency of San Francisco restaurants to copy the Chez Panisse style and approach, which he said resulted in self-righteousness over ingredients and a lack of creativity, complexity, or technical finesse. He also criticized San Francisco diners for avoiding food they considered too fancy, while paying similar prices for restaurants that featured home-style cooking, as a form of affected populism
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
. One quote from the essay that is often repeated is: "so deeply embedded is the mythology of Chez Panisse in the DNA of local food culture that it threatens to smother stylistic diversity and extinguish the creativity that it originally sought to spark.”
Patterson lives in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and is married to litigation attorney Alexandra Foote.
Awards and recognition
- Best New Chef, Food & Wine MagazineFood & Wine MagazineFood & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
, 1997 - Rising Star Chef, San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, 1997 - Best New Restaurant, James Beard FoundationJames Beard FoundationThe James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
, 2001 (for Elizabeth Daniel) - Chef of the Year, San Francisco Magazine, 2007
- Best Chef: Pacific (nominee), James Beard FoundationJames Beard FoundationThe James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
, 2009 and 2010
External links
- To the Moon, Alice? - controversial New York Times essay