WOLFGANG PUCK

Wolfgang Puck is a world-renowned chef, restaurateur, and philanthropist. Born in Austria, Puck was inspired by his chef mother to begin cooking as a child. He started formal training at 14 in some of France’s top restaurants. At 24, he moved to the U.S., working first at La Tour in Indianapolis before making waves with Hollywood’s elite at Ma Maison in L.A. in 1975. A best-selling author, Puck released his first cookbook, Modern French Cuisine for the American Kitchen, in 1981. The following year, he opened Spago, his first flagship restaurant, where his innovative California cuisine earned him James Beard Awards for Outstanding Chef and Restaurant of the Year. Puck went on to open critically acclaimed restaurants worldwide, expanding into catering and products under Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Catering, and Worldwide, Inc. An Emmy-winning TV personality, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017. Through the Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, he’s raised millions for cancer research and Meals on Wheels. In 2012, he received the James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.