Suzanne Goin
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Goin is a chef
and restaurateur
from Los Angeles
, California
. As a restaurateur, she runs four restaurants in the Los Angeles area: The A.O.C., Lucques, and Tavern, which she runs with partner Caroline Styne, and The Hungry Cat, where she shares duties with her husband, David Lentz. As an award winning chef, she was named as one of Food & Wine Magazine
's "best new chefs of 1999" and was nominated for James Beard
awards in 2003 and 2005. Her restaurants have been praised by Gourmet magazine, Bon Appétit
and Los Angeles Times
(which awarded Lucques three stars). In 2006 Goin won the James Beard
award for Best Chef: California
in Los Angeles she interned at Ma Maison just after the departure of Wolfgang Puck
and after graduation enrolled in Brown University
where she graduated with honors. Goin then worked at a series of highly successful restaurants including Alice Water's Chez Panisse
, Todd English
's Olives. In the early 1990s she traveled to France and worked with Alain Passard
at his three star
Arpege along with stints at Didier Oudill's two-star Pain and Patisserie Christian Pottier. After returning to Los Angeles in 1995 she spent two years at Mark Peel’s celebrated restaurant Campanile ending up as executive chef. Goin has won or been nominated for a total of 6 James Beard
foundation awards.
and New York Times food critic Mark Bittman
's How to Cook Everything.
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 ...
and 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...
from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. As a restaurateur, she runs four restaurants in the Los Angeles area: The A.O.C., Lucques, and Tavern, which she runs with partner Caroline Styne, and The Hungry Cat, where she shares duties with her husband, David Lentz. As an award winning chef, she was named as one of 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...
's "best new chefs of 1999" and was nominated for James Beard
James Beard
James Andrew Beard was an American chef and food writer. The central figure in the story of the establishment of a gourmet American food identity, Beard was an eccentric personality who brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s...
awards in 2003 and 2005. Her restaurants have been praised by Gourmet magazine, Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit describes itself as "a food and entertaining magazine" and is published monthly. Named after the French phrase for "Enjoy your meal", it was started by M. Frank Jones in Kansas City in 1956...
and Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
(which awarded Lucques three stars). In 2006 Goin won the James Beard
James Beard
James Andrew Beard was an American chef and food writer. The central figure in the story of the establishment of a gourmet American food identity, Beard was an eccentric personality who brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s...
award for Best Chef: California
Career
When she was a high school senior at Marlborough SchoolMarlborough School (Los Angeles)
Marlborough School is a private, all-girls, college-preparatory secondary school for grades 7th through 12th located at 250 South Rossmore Avenue in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Marlborough was founded in 1889 by Mary Caswell and is the oldest independent...
in Los Angeles she interned at Ma Maison just after the departure of Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, businessman and occasional actor. Wolfgang Puck restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products are run by Wolfgang Puck Companies, with three divisions...
and after graduation enrolled in Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
where she graduated with honors. Goin then worked at a series of highly successful restaurants including Alice Water's 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...
, Todd English
Todd English
William Todd English is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television personality based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
's Olives. In the early 1990s she traveled to France and worked with Alain Passard
Alain Passard
Alain Passard is a French chef and owner of the three star restaurant L'Arpège in Paris.The son of musicians, Passard is also passionate about music, playing the saxophone. He recently released his first book, Les Recettes des Drôles de Petites Bêtes, a recipe book written especially for children...
at his three star
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
Arpege along with stints at Didier Oudill's two-star Pain and Patisserie Christian Pottier. After returning to Los Angeles in 1995 she spent two years at Mark Peel’s celebrated restaurant Campanile ending up as executive chef. Goin has won or been nominated for a total of 6 James Beard
James Beard
James Andrew Beard was an American chef and food writer. The central figure in the story of the establishment of a gourmet American food identity, Beard was an eccentric personality who brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s...
foundation awards.
Restaurants
In 1998, Suzanne Goin opened Lucques which won recognition from Food & Wine and Gourmet magazines and also won a James Beard nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Service. In 2002, she opened A.O.C. which won 3 stars from the Los Angeles Times. Her third restaurant, The Hungry Cat, opened in Hollywood in 2005. A casual seafood restaurant, it also received positive reviews. A second location in Santa Barbara opened in 2007. Her most recent venture with Caroline Styne, Tavern, opened in Brentwood in May 2009.Media
Goin's cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques was published in late 2005. The next year the book was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's award for "Best Cookbook From a Professional Viewpoint". She has also made several television appearances including PBS's series Chef's StoryChef's Story
Chef's Story is a 26-Part Public Television series featuring Dorothy Cann Hamilton interviewing well known chefs and restaurateurs.Hamilton, founder and CEO of The French Culinary Institute, conducts the interviews in front of culinary students in the first half of each episode.Each chef then moves...
and New York Times food critic Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman is an American food journalist and author. He is columnist for The New York Times.-Education:Bittman is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School Class of 1967 and of Clark University.-Career:...
's How to Cook Everything.