In 1983, following the success of Spago, Wolfgang opened Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. Wolfgang is the only chef to have won the Outstanding Chef of the Year Award multiple times. Wolfgang and Spago earned many accolades during its popular eighteen years in West Hollywood, including winning the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef of the Year in 19, and the James Beard Foundation Award for Restaurant of the Year in 1994. His early signature dishes, such as pizzas topped with smoked salmon and caviar, and Sonoma baby lamb with braised greens and rosemary, put him and Spago on the international gourmet map. Located in West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip, Spago was an instant success and culinary phenomenon. His dynamic personality and culinary brilliance that bridged tradition and invention made Ma Maison a magnet for the rich and famous.Īfter leaving Ma Maison, in 1982 Wolfgang opened his first flagship restaurant, Spago. In 1975, Wolfgang came to Los Angeles and very quickly garnered the attention of the Hollywood elite as chef of Ma Maison in West Hollywood. His first job was at the restaurant La Tour in Indianapolis, where he worked from 1973 to 1975. At the age of 24, Wolfgang took the advice of a friend and left Europe for the United States. As a young chef he worked in some of France’s greatest restaurants, including Maxim’s in Paris, the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and the Michelin 2-starred L’Oustau de Baumanière in Provence. So driven and inquisitive to learn, he started his formal training when he was just fourteen years old. A chef herself, she encouraged Wolfgang and inspired his passion for food. Puck was born in Austria and began cooking alongside his mother at a very young age. The famed chef has built a brand that encompasses three companies: Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Catering, and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. The name Wolfgang Puck is synonymous with the best of restaurant hospitality and the ultimate in all aspects of the culinary arts.

Susan hayden santa monica ca writer