Chefs
Loretta Keller
Loretta Keller’s culinary career was formed early in France and at Jeremiah Towers’ Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. Chef Keller opened her first restaurant Bizou in 1993, transforming that concept and menu in 2005 into COCO5OO. A James Beard nominee for Best Chef California/Pacific region, Loretta has long been known for sourcing local and organic ingredients for her fresh, soulful and artfully executed California-Mediterranean dishes.
Since 2008 Loretta and her partner Clay Reynolds have overseen the design and building of food service programs at the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Loretta is also well known for dedicating her time and resources to local causes and environmental issues. The San Francisco Free Clinic, Canary Foundation, Share Our Strength, Meals on Wheels, Food Runners are among her interests. She serves on the board of two non-profits, Wild Salmon Center and California Trout, organizations dedicated to securing and ensuring healthy water ecosystems and habitat restoration.
Loretta was born in British Columbia, raised in California and has a degree in Literature from UC Santa Cruz.
Duck Confit with Escarole-Apple Salad
Jacques’ La Technique was incredibly influential to me in the early days of my cooking career. I was fortunate to meet Jacques, appear on his show, and cook for him many times at my restaurant Bizou and COCO5OO which was around the corner from KQED in San Francisco where his shows were produced. The even slicing of the shallot in this recipe reminds me of many of the lessons Jacques taught me (and my cooks) over the years.
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