Gary Danko is a chef

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 ...

 in San Francisco, California. Raised in Massena

Massena (town), New York

Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town is on the northern border of the county and is nicknamed "The Gateway to the Fourth Coast". The population was 13,121 at the 2000 census. The town of Massena contains a village also called Massena...

 in upstate New York, Danko combines 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...

, Mediterranean

Cuisine of the Mediterranean

Mediterranean cuisine is the food from the cultures adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea.Whether this is a useful category is disputed:The idea of the ‘standard Mediterranean’ .....

, and American

Cuisine of the United States

American cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from the United States of America. European colonization of the Americas yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter...

 styles into his cooking. He is best known for his namesake restaurant, Gary Danko.

Early life

Danko was born in Massena, New York

Massena (village), New York

Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....

, his father was a Hungarian immigrant. His grandmother was Jewish and he grew up with Hungarian cooking with Jewish overtones.

Culinary development

Danko first started cooking at the local Village Inn restaurant at just 14 years old. By the time he graduated high school, he had been exposed to every position in the restaurant. Danko completed his culinary education at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He relocated to San Francisco in 1977 and worked as a waiter at the Waterfront Restaurant. Chef Danko returned to New York to enroll in Madeleine Kamman's class at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School in 1983. In 1985, Danko became the executive chef at Beringer Vineyards. He later became the executive chef at Chateau Souverain in Sonoma County. In 1995, Danko left to become the chef of the Dining Room at the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton

Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...

.

Restaurants

In 1999, Danko created his own restaurant 'Gary Danko', near Fisherman's Wharf. Gary Danko has also made appearances as the feature chef on the Food Network

Food Network

Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

 and PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

. In 2002, the restaurant Gary Danko was designated one of eighteen Relais & Chateaux

Relais & Chateaux

Relais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...

 properties in North America. As of early 2009 construction was underway for a less formal restaurant in Ghirardelli Square

Ghirardelli Square

Ghirardelli Square is a landmark with shops and restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco, California, USA. A portion of the area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company....

.

Food

Diners select from three, four or five prix-fixe menu courses. Danko's signature dishes include roast Maine lobster with white corn, tarragon and chanterelles, pancetta wrapped frog legs with garlic purée, and roasted quail stuffed with mushrooms and foie gras. Most dishes are served year round, but ingredients are adjusted seasonally to emphasize local produce. In late spring, Danko's seared foie gras is paired with Bing cherries, but in early fall, with roast figs.

Awards and honors

Year	Organization	Category
1995	James Beard Foundation James Beard Foundation The 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...	Best Chef-California
1999	Esquire Magazine	Best New Restaurant
1999	Mobil Travel Guide	First "Five Star" rating
2000	James Beard Foundation	Best New Restaurant
2000	San Francisco Magazine	Chef of the Year
2002	James Beard Foundation Award James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...	Nominated Outstanding Chef of the Year
2002	Relais & Chateaux Relais & Chateaux Relais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...	Relais & Chateaux Relais & Chateaux Relais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...  property
2007	Zagat Survey Zagat Survey Zagat Survey was established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering New York City, the Zagats surveyed their friends. As of 2005, the Zagat Survey included 70 cities, with reviews based on the input of...	Top Restaurant
2008	Michelin Guide Michelin Guide The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...	One Star Rating
2012	Michelin Guide Michelin Guide The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...	One Star Rating

External links

• AskMen America's Top Five Chefs
• Restaurant Gary Danko
• Michelin Guide
• James Beard Foundation