Chef Christopher Lemerand

I discovered professional cooking by mistake. Having gone to The University of Michigan for a few years I found that, at the end, I was doing the schoolwork for the sole purpose of maintaining my spot on the University's Men's Rowing Team. In my third year it was clear to my family that I was destined for a different path, and so my older sister began to send me brochures from culinary schools as I had been cooking for the family since I was quite young.

My competitive nature led me to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park as only the best would do. I found myself surrounded by people who were also constantly thinking about food, in the beautiful Hudson Valley, with the culinary powerhouse in New York City just to the South. Not long into our education the CIA invites students to take an externship as a part of the process, and so I staged at Blue Hill at Stone Barns before eventually landing on a small restaurant in Williamstown, Massachusetts, serving hyper-local comfort food with a French flair.

As a result of a school policy to afford extra time to students in the process of externship, I had convinced two of my fellow classmates to spend a month out in San Francisco gaining experience in the City's world-class restaurants. The idea was simple: I would meet Friend A in Philadelphia, pick up Friend B in New Orleans, then all drive out to SF before eventually driving across the country once more to return for classes in Hyde Park.

While initially planned to require a month or so of investment, we got side-tracked while in New Orleans working in John Besh's restaurants and experiencing the month+ celebration that is Mardi Gras. Only scarcely able to pry ourselves from the clutches of New Orleans, San Francisco came about 4 months later than planned though found we 3 cooking in some of the best restaurants in the City.