David Kinch has forged a distinctive culinary path putting him at the forefront of new contemporary California cuisine. His philosophy is fostered by the terroir, or “sense of place” of the California Coast, and the kind of ingredient-driven cooking and modern technique he studied around the world. Influenced by French and modern Catalan cooking, Kinch finds inspiration from European traditions and refinement, American ingenuity, and the vast bounty California offers. His pursuit for exceptional products inspired an exclusive partnership with Love Apple Farms, where most ingredients for Manresa are grown. This relationship creates a closed loop between the farm and kitchen assuring the dining experience imparts to guests a distinct sense of place and time.
Manresa has held two Michelin stars for six consecutive years and is one of Restaurant Magazine and San Pellegrino’s “Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World.” In 2011, Kinch was named “Chef of the Year” by GQ magazine and in 2010, he received the “Best Chef: Pacific” award from the James Beard Foundation. In the 2016 Michelin Guide Manresa was elevated to 3 stars.
David Kinch’s Career
1977 Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, working under Chef Paul Prudhomme
1981 Graduated with honors from Johnson and Wales Culinary Academy in
Providence, Rhode Island
1982 Sous Chef at Hotel Parker Meridian, New York; Executive Chef, La Petite
Ferme, New York
1984 Stage at Hôtel de la Poste, Beaune, France, under Marc Chevillot
1984-88 Chef, Quilted Giraffe, New York
1989 Consultant chef to Hotel Clio Court in Fukuoka, Japan, where he played an integral part in the creation of a contemporary American restaurant
1989-90 Executive Chef, Silks, The Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco
1990-92 Stages at Schweizer Stuben, Wertheim, Germany; L’Espérance, St-Père-en-
Vézelay, France; Akelarre, San Sebastián, Spain
1993 Executive Chef, Ernie’s, San Francisco
1995 Chef-proprietor, Sent Sovi, Saratoga, California
2002 Chef-proprietor, Manresa, Los Gatos, California
David Kinch Distinctions and Honors
2013 Two Michelin Stars, Michelin Guide San Francisco Bay Area
and Wine Country, 2007-2013
2012 World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Restaurant magazine, UK
2012 Zagat Survey 2012, Top Five San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants
2012 Opinionated About Dining Guide, Top Restaurant in Northern California
2011 Chef of the Year, GQ magazine
2011 4 Stars, Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, December 2011 & September 2005
2011 Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants, San Francisco Chronicle, 2003-2011
2011 4 Stars, Josh Sens, San Francisco magazine, August 2011
2011 Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S., Gayot, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011
2010 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chefs in America: Pacific
2011, 2010 Forbes Travel Guide Four Star Award
2010 World’s 50 Best Restaurants, second tier, Restaurant magazine, UK, 2009-2010
2009 Best New Restaurants of the Decade, Zagat
2009 12 Restaurants That Matter, Saveur, April 2009
2009 Four Stars, Mobil Four- and Five-Star Hotel and Restaurant Awards, 2007-2009
2008 Top 10 Most Dedicated Farm-to-Table Restaurants, Epicurious.com
2008 Fine Dining Hall of Fame, Nation’s Restaurant News
2007 Award of Excellence 2007, Wine Spectator
2006 America’s Top 50 Restaurants, Gourmet, October 2006
2006 Four Stars, Aleta Watson, San Jose Mercury News, December 2006 & December 2002
2006 Rising Star Chef of the Year, David Kinch, Northside San Francisco
2006 Commendation by the Town of Los Gatos, March 20, 2006
2005 World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Restaurant magazine, UK
2002 Top 10 of 2002, Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, December 29, 2002
For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Heather Barbod or Keelin Czellecz at Wagstaff Worldwide:
[email protected]
[email protected]
212.227.7575
415.274.2510