Elka Gilmore facts for kids

Elka Gilmore (born March 17, 1960 – died July 6, 2019) was a famous American chef. She was known for her creative cooking style. Her restaurant in San Francisco, called Elka, became very popular across the country. In 1994, she was even nominated for a special award, the James Beard Foundation Award, for being the Best California Chef.

Elka Gilmore's Life and Career

Early Life and First Jobs

Elka Ruth Gilmore was born in 1960 in San Antonio, Texas. She started working in restaurants at a young age. Her very first job was washing dishes at a place called Café Camille in Austin. She was only about 12 years old then.

When she was 16, Elka moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to live with her grandmother. She worked as a prep cook at a restaurant named L’Étoile. A prep cook helps get ingredients ready for the main chef. When the chef left, Elka was promoted to be the head chef herself!

Cooking Adventures

At 18, Elka traveled a lot to learn more about cooking. She visited Boston and New York in the United States. She also went to Provence, France, where she trained at a restaurant in Cotignac. This is called an apprenticeship, where you learn from experienced chefs.

In 1982, she settled in Los Angeles. There, she worked at several restaurants like Tumbleweed, Checkers, and Palette. She also co-owned a restaurant called Camelion's, which served French-inspired food.

Opening Her Own Restaurants

Elka Restaurant in San Francisco

In 1991, when Elka was 31, she opened her own restaurant named Elka. It was located in the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco's Japantown. Her restaurant was special because it mixed Asian and French cooking styles.

Elka's restaurant quickly became very famous. New York Times Magazine wrote that her dishes were "light and memorable." They also called her "an iconoclastic cook," meaning she had very original ideas. In 1994, she was recognized for her talent with a nomination for the James Beard Foundation's Award for Best California Chef.

Other Restaurant Ventures

In 1995, Elka opened another restaurant in San Francisco called Liberté. It served French-American food, but it closed after a few months. Later, she was hired by the Omni Berkshire Place Hotel in New York. Her job was to open and manage a seafood restaurant called Kokachin.

In 1998, Elka returned to San Francisco. She opened a new restaurant called Oodles, which served Asian fusion food. Fusion cuisine mixes different cooking traditions. This restaurant also closed shortly after opening. Even so, food critic Mark Bittman from The New York Times said that the food at Oodles had "a true sense of excitement."

Supporting Other Chefs

Elka Gilmore was known for supporting other women chefs. She helped mentor and guide many women who were starting their careers in cooking. In 1993, she helped create an organization called Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. She started it with other well-known San Francisco chefs, Barbara Tropp and Joyce Goldstein. This group helps women in the restaurant business.

Elka Gilmore passed away on July 6, 2019, in San Francisco. She died due to health problems.