Traci Des Jardins facts for kids
Traci Des Jardins with Gary Danko in the background
|
|
| Born | November 15, 1965 Firebaugh, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
|
Previous restaurant(s)
|
|
|
Television show(s)
|
|
|
Award(s) won
|
|
Traci Des Jardins is a famous American chef and restaurant owner. She used to own a well-known restaurant called Jardinière. This restaurant was in San Francisco, California, and served French-inspired California cuisine.
Contents
About Traci Des Jardins
Traci Des Jardins grew up on a farm in Firebaugh, California, near Fresno. Her family background is a mix of French Acadian and Mexican heritage. Her father's family came from French Acadia. Her mother's family was from the Mexican state of Sonora.
Traci has many fond memories of her childhood. She especially remembers her grandmother, Angela Salazar, making fresh flour tortillas. Meals at her home often included fresh produce from their garden. They also ate game from their land. These dishes showed off her family's unique Mexican and French Acadian cooking traditions.
Traci's Early Cooking Career
Before becoming a famous chef, Traci learned from the best. She trained at several top French restaurants. These included places like La Maison Troisgros. She also worked as the head chef at Patina in Los Angeles. This restaurant was owned by the famous chef Joachim Splichal.
Later, Traci worked at other well-known restaurants in San Francisco. These included Aqua, Elka, and Rubicon. In 1997, she opened her own restaurant, Jardinière.
Traci's Cooking Style
Traci Des Jardins believes in using fresh, local ingredients. She tries to get her food from nearby farms and ranches. These places use sustainable methods. This means they farm in ways that protect the environment. She prefers ingredients that are organic and in season. This helps her create delicious and fresh dishes.
Awards and Recognition
Traci Des Jardins has won many important awards for her cooking. In 2007, she won the James Beard Foundation Award. This award is for the best chef in the Pacific region. In 1995, the James Beard Foundation named her "Rising Star Chef of the Year." This award goes to a chef who is new but shows great promise.
She also won "Best New Chef" from Food & Wine magazine. San Francisco magazine named her "Chef of the Year." Her restaurant, Jardinière, was also recognized. Esquire magazine called it a "Best New Restaurant." The James Beard Foundation also nominated Jardinière for "Best New Restaurant."
Television Appearances
Traci Des Jardins has appeared on several cooking shows. She competed on season 3 of Top Chef: Masters in 2011. She was one of the finalists on the show.
In 2005, she appeared on Iron Chef America. On this show, she competed against Chef Mario Batali and won! She also competed in The Next Iron Chef.
Traci Des Jardins has also been a judge on TV. She was a judge on Hell's Kitchen during season 18. She also judged on Guy's Grocery Games.
Traci Des Jardins' Restaurants
Traci Des Jardins has owned and operated several restaurants. Many of them have been very popular.
Closed Restaurants
- Jardinière (September 1997 – April 2019), San Francisco
- Public House (2010–2024), Oracle Park, San Francisco
- School Night (2018–2020), Dogpatch, San Francisco
- Mijita Cocina Mexicana (2004 – December 29, 2019), Ferry Building, San Francisco
- Mijita (2010–2015), Oracle Park, San Francisco
- Commissary (May 2014–2021), Presidio, San Francisco
- Arguello (2014–2021), Presidio, San Francisco
- Transit Café (April 2015 – November 2019), Presidio, San Francisco
- El Alto (2022), State Street Market, Los Altos, California
