CHEFSDavid KinchManresa David Kinch began his culinary training under Chef Paul Prudhomme in his hometown of New Orleans. He graduated with honors from Johnson & Wales Culinary Academy in Rhode Island, and went on to cook at top restaurants, including Quilted Giraffe in New York, and Silks at the Mandarin Oriental and the venerable Ernie's, both in San Francisco. His American experience was refined with training at some of Europe's top restaurants. After seven successful years as chef-proprietor of Sent Sovi in Saratoga, he opened Manresa in 2002 to critical acclaim from Gourmet, The London Observer, and the San Francisco Chronicle. David Kinch's latest endeavor is the Manresa kitchen garden in partnership with Cynthia Sandberg, proprietor of Love Apple Farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Together they produce nearly all of the organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs grown exclusively for Manresa. In the manner of a French potager, fresh produce is picked every day and incorporated into the menu for that evening. David and Cynthia share the goal of producing the best-tasting vegetables grown with biodynamic methods year-round. Manresa has been awarded two Michelin stars and has been named one of America's Top 50 Restaurants by Gourmet magazine and one of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. by Gayot. Manresa has received four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Mobil Travel Guide. |