Chef David Kinch currently holds three Michelin stars for his restaurant Manresa, which specialises in California cuisine and is located in the town of Los Gatos in the San Francisco Bay Area. Manresa was awarded two stars in the 2007 Michelin guide, upgraded in 2016, and has held three Michelin stars ever since.
David Kinch is one of the top names in California cuisine today, with a cooking style that incorporates modern techniques from around the world - and Japan in particular - but with a focus on fresh, local ingredients to invoke the Californian terroir, or sense of place. As such, he has a keen interest in sustainability, and the ingredients used at Manresa are either sourced from a select few local suppliers and fishers or grown in-house. Speaking at Care’s, an event held in Salina, Italy, to promote ethical practices in the restaurant world, Kinch said that "being an ethical chef is not so much a choice as a duty." He has also been vocal in his support of sustainability measures such as protected areas and fishing restrictions.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Orleans, Kinch says he always knew he wanted to be a chef and has never worked any other job. He is a graduate of the Johnson and Wales Culinary Academy in Providence, Rhode Island, and completed his culinary training in Michelin starred restaurants in Germany, France and Spain.
Manresa opened in 2002, it’s location apparently inspired by a chance conversation with legendary Bay Area chef Thomas Keller, after Kinch dined at The French Laundry and left behind some wine skins, returning to collect them the next day. During their conversation, Keller encouraged Kinch to purchase the former Village House restaurant in Los Gatos that went on to become Kinch’s three-Michelin-star flagship restaurant.