Wolfgang Puck
Executive Chef

Wolfgang Puck first made his mark as one of an influential breed of young chef-restauranteurs who launched new trends in California cuisine by expertly blending fresh local ingredients with classical French technique. A native of Austria, Wolfgang began his formal training at age 14, inspired by his mother, a hotel chef. He apprenticed at L'Ousteau de Baumaniere in Provence, France, and developed his creativity at the three-star restaurants of Hotel de Paris in Monaco and Maxim's in Paris.

Encouraged by a friend, Wolfgang came to work in the U.S. in 1973. Within a short time, he was the star attraction at Los Angeles' Ma Maison, both as chef and part-owner. After publishing his first cookbook, Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen, Puck left to establish Spago on Sunset Boulevard in 1982.

Spago's casual chic interior and trend-setting open kitchen were designed by Barbara Lazaroff, Wolfgang's wife and partner. The high-energy atmosphere of Spago, coupled with Puck's fun loving personality and his trademark gourmet pizzas, have always attracted an eclectic Hollywood crowd. From the beginning, Puck cultivated the best in farm-direct suppliers for his produce, meat, poultry and fish, establishing an enviable network. He repeats this process for each of his restaurants, always drawing on the finest local sources.

In 1983, Puck and Lazaroff opened their second restaurant, Chinois on Main, in Santa Monica. Here, his elaborate menu features an Asian-California fusion and wildly exotic decor, including Lazaroff's signature open kitchen.
Puck's first project outside Southern California was Postrio, opened in 1989 adjacent to the Prescott Hotel off of San Francisco's Union Square. Postrio's elegant and exciting interior, designed by Pat Kuleto, is the setting for a sophisticated menu of California cuisine woven with Mediterranean and Asian influences and supplied by a network of farmers and specialty producers from the surrounding Bay Area. Two of Puck's proteges, executive chefs and brothers, Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal orchestrate the menu at Postrio.

In 1991 Wolfgang and Barbara opened Granita, located in the Malibu Colony Plaza, a restaurant inspired by the colors and flavors of the Mediterranean. Their latest ventures include Spago Las Vegas, Spago Mexico City, and a series of "Wolfgang Puck Pizza cafes" in a variety of locations, from the Macy's Department Stores in San Francisco and Minnesota to the campus of the University of Southern California.

Puck published The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook: Recipes from Spago and Chinois, (Random House) in 1986. His most recently published cookbook is Adventures in the Kitchen with Wolfgang Puck, (Random House, 1991). He has also produced an instructional cooking video, Spago Cooking with Wolfgang Puck. Other professional ventures include a line of frozen gourmet pizzas, made with fresh, quality ingredients and sold in major markets across the country. Puck also devotes time to fund-raising events for charities such as Meals on Wheels and the American Cancer Society Los Angeles. Puck and Lazaroff live in Los Angeles with their five-year-old son, Cameron and their latest addition, Byron.