Wolfgang Puck Biography

Fast Facts

• Won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef of the Year in 1991 and 1998, becoming the first chef to win the award twice
• Opening in 1982, his first flagship restaurant, Spago, won the James Beard Foundation Award for Restaurant of the Year in 1994
• Upon moving his restaurant Spago to Beverly Hills in 1997, he updated the menu with help from Lee Hefter and Sherry Yard and became one of only three Los Angeles restaurants to garner two Michelin Stars
• At a young age, he cooked alongside his mother Maria Topfschnig, who was a chef in the Austrian town where they lived
• Began his training as a chef at the age of 14 and soon after found work in top French restaurants such as Maxim's in Paris and the Hotel de Paris in Monaco
• Quote: "I'm the luckiest guy in the world because my work is also my hobby․ So whether I'm starting early in the morning, or finishing late at night, I love the restaurant business․"
• Quote: "(On the changes America has undergone in the food industry) "It was a revolution, but now it is an evolution․ People know more ingredients, people know more techniques, and people look for more ingredients they've never looked for before․ ""
• After moving to Los Angeles in 1975, he began came to the attention of Hollywood for his work at Ma Maison, where he was known for combing a dynamic personality with a culinary vision that bridged invention with tradition
• Is known for laying the groundwork for fusion cooking in the U․S․, as he combined Asian cuisine with his French and California background at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica