Chef Thomas Keller’s Table

As originally published in CURATED Magazine.

The evening began with cocktails and Krug Grand Cuvée in the courtyard, where Napa Valley’s autumnal light cast an amber glow over the grand Crape Myrtle and Japanese Maple trees. Here, 60 Members and guests of The Club Community have gathered at The French Laundry — some of them old friends, some of them meeting for the first time. They’re invited to wander into the kitchen and watch the preparation of the seven courses to follow, to ask questions, and to learn about the purveyors. Later, during the fourth course of Carnaroli Risotto Biologico, Chef and Proprietor Thomas Keller will visit each table, chatting with guests as he shaves fresh Italian white Alba truffles over their dish.

It goes without saying that the food and wine was divine at this private dinner at The French Laundry, yet the real star of the show was the camaraderie — and for Chef Keller, it was palpable. “With the Culinary Series, you have a group of Members who have common interests, common goals, and common visions so there’s an amplified social connection between them,” says Keller. “It’s like having your own party, and I get to be there and interact with them about the food, the restaurant, and their experiences in different parts of the world.”

The Exclusive Resorts Culinary Series launched in 2022 under that very premise — to create a connection between Members over a shared love of food, wine, and travel. It’s also one of the most profound ways to gain privileged access to some of the country’s most hard-to-come-by restaurant reservations, including Keller’s The French Laundry, The Surf Club Restaurant, and Per Se, as well as Daniel Boulud’s Daniel, Stephanie Izard’s Girl & the Goat, Sean Brock’s Audrey, and Grant Achatz’s Alinea. 

Yet Keller is the first to tell you that a spectacular dining experience begins with the people behind the scenes, many of whom he’s nurtured relationships with over the course of several decades. He shares the story of Diane St. Clair, the founder of Animal Farm, who recently retired after providing Keller with grass-fed, cultured butter for 25 years (St. Clair taught her techniques to a new family, which now runs the Vermont creamery and continues to work with Keller). One day, St. Clair phoned Keller to tell him she was raising the price of her butter because her son was accepted to New York University and she needed to pay for his tuition. “We are supporting a community, and that community stretches across the globe,” notes Keller. “Going out to dinner is a pivotal moment in the way we need to think about our support for these individuals, because we’re sending a young man to college.”

Just as Keller forges relationships with cheesemongers, farmers, fishers, and foragers throughout the country, the same goes for the people who work with him at his 11 restaurants and bakeries. He likens his team to a sports franchise: “The young team members come in, more or less in their rookie year and we continue to teach, to train, to mentor them. We watch their careers blossom, progress, and expand beyond anything that we’d ever think.” Speaking of the unimaginable, Keller himself got his start as a rookie, working as a dishwasher at a Florida restaurant when he was a teenager, eventually climbing the ranks as a cook and apprenticing under some of the industry’s best. “I didn’t have any culinary education or a college education. I barely made it out of high school,” says Keller. “Yet I was accepted in this profession and given the opportunity to make something for myself.”

By now Keller and his restaurants have collected numerous accolades, from multiple Michelin stars to distinguished awards to honorary doctorates. Yet his goal has remained resolute: to create wonderful food for wonderful people, resulting in an emotional connection over a shared experience. “Making people happy is so easy and so much fun,” he says. “You serve them a great meal with some great wine and you give them a hug. It’s pretty simple.”

Chef Thomas Keller’s It Dishes

The Surf Club Restaurant | Prime Beef Short Rib Wellington for Two: with a signature sauce Périgourdine. 

Per Se | Salmon Cornets: miniature cones topped with salmon tartare and crème fraîche.

Bouchon Bistro | Croque Madame: on Brioche with a fried egg, sauce Mornay, and side of fries.

The French Laundry | Oysters & Pearls: oysters, Regiis Ova Caviar, and pearl tapioca. 

Ad Hoc + Addendum | Buttermilk Fried Chicken: a favorite on the daily changing menu.

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