Dennis Leary facts for kids

Dennis Leary is a famous chef and restaurateur (someone who owns restaurants) in San Francisco, California. He runs six different food and drink places there. He also has a big farm called Andromeda Farm in Capay Valley. His restaurants are Rx, Café Terminus, Natoma Cabana, Golden West, House of Shields, and The Sentinel.

Getting Started in Cooking

Dennis Leary started working in kitchens when he was just 14 years old. His first job was washing dishes at The Red Lion Inn in his hometown of Cohasset, Massachusetts. By the time he finished high school, he was already a line cook.

Leary went to Wheaton College to study English literature. While in college, he kept working in restaurants. He worked at Kimball's in Cohasset and at the Parker House Hotel in Boston.

His Career as a Chef

After college, Leary worked as a line cook in places like the Boulders Resort in Scottsdale. He also worked at the Carmel Valley Ranch in California. There, he met Alain Rondelli, who hired him as a pastry chef in San Francisco.

A year later, Dennis became a sous chef (a head chef's assistant) at Rubicon. He soon became the executive chef (the main chef) there. Leary was the executive chef for six years. Then, he decided to open his own restaurant.

Opening His Own Restaurants

In 2005, Dennis Leary opened his first own place called Canteen. It was a small restaurant and bar with only 20 seats. Leary was the only chef and owner.

In 2008, Leary teamed up with Eric Passetti. They opened The Sentinel, a sandwich shop in downtown San Francisco. It became famous for its corned beef sandwich. They also opened The Golden West, which serves breakfast and lunch.

In 2009, Leary and Passetti got into the bar business. They took over the House of Shields in SoMa. This bar has been around since 1908! Leary fixed up the old light fixtures, statues, and floors to make it look new again.

In July 2014, Leary and Passetti opened Natoma Cabana. It's on Natoma Street and used to be a blacksmith's shop. The inside of the bar is very old, dating back to 1913. Leary asked a local artist, Ian Ross, to design the front of Natoma Cabana.

In November 2014, Dennis Leary opened Rx. This is a craft cocktail bar in the Tenderloin area. The name "Rx" comes from the time of Prohibition. Back then, you needed a doctor's "prescription" (Rx) to legally get alcohol.

Awards

• 2014 – Eater Awards: Empire Builder