Chef Keller

A picture with Chef Keller

Discussing very important life matters like Princess Barbi and Captain Rex

Waiting in line

John and I in the kitchen at Per Se

If you've ever spoken to a single Dolby even once in your life, you probably know that John has a passion for cooking. The kids both enjoy cooking with him very much and, in fact, Justin even discussed garnish for the dinner plates the other night with me. He wound up with some greens arranged in the center of the plate and "sauce" drizzled artfully around the edge of the plate.

Chef Thomas Keller is a name our family knows well as he is the inspiration behind one of our favorite movies, Ratatouille. Prior to the fame and fortune one receives as the inspiration of a Disney-Pixar film, he was John's favorite chef. When I met John, I heard about Thomas Keller and it became a goal (or project) of mine to take him to The French Laundry. I accomplished that in 2007 and the menu from our visit is framed and hanging on our wall. Chef Keller opened another restaurant in New York, Per Se, which is where we celebrated our 8th Anniversary.

While we were at Per Se, we were lucky enough to be invited into the kitchen for a visit. The scene was amazingly calm and relaxing, which is the complete opposite of what I had been expecting. I've often explained it as something similar to a yoga class because everyone was smiling, focused, and working hard to complete their own piece of a very complicated puzzle. The cadence with which they worked was soothing and precise, and it matched the very fluid, musical experience you have as a guest in the dining room.

Recently, I found out that Chef Keller would be at Providence Place this weekend doing a book signing. The signing was on Friday night at 6:00 and my kids were hungry, exhausted, and crabby when we got there. I had a bad feeling when I saw the line but we put on a brave face and took our place at the back. I let them play off to the side and they were engaged in a serious game of tag when someone from Williams Sonoma tapped my shoulder and asked if they were my children. After a quick mental debate on whether or not I should claim them, I said, "Yes...I'm sorry...." The man smiled and said, "Chef Keller would like to invite you to the front of the line."

WHAT??????

Chef Keller had given instructions that parents waiting with children should be brought to the front of the line so that the kids were not forced to wait so long. I was embarrassed and made them wait for 10 minutes or so before I gave in. When asked again, we welcomed the opportunity and my kids were given red velvet cupcakes to tide them over for another 5 minutes before we were face to face with Chef Keller himself. I had been expecting the usual rush experience so I asked ahead of time if I was allowed to take a picture and they told me, "Certainly!"

We were introduced to him by name and he took our waiting cookbook and set it aside. He chatted with the kids, asked them several questions, and waited while they got over being shy. We talked about John and both kids shared random facts with him while he smiled and nodded with amusement. The funniest moment under the sun was when my sleepy little girl blurted out, "My Daddy drinks beer and Coke!" and then started giggling at herself. She had the whole staff rolling and Chef Keller himself couldn't help but smile and get caught up in her moment.

Eventually, Chef Keller signed our book and took pictures with us. I shared with him that we had enjoyed an experience at both of his restaurants and that we had been invited into the kitchen at Per Se. He thanked me for my compliments and shook each of our hands before we left.

He is such a gentle man and it was an amazing experience to me because, while he is so accomplished at what he does, he signed our book with this comment: "It's all about family." I am not by any means as intrigued with cooking as John is (nor will I ever be), but I do have a new role model to follow after this experience. John will continue to study his technique and I will marvel at his personality, ethics, determination, and passion. It must be something very special that takes an individual with a raw talent, helps them become THE BEST, and reminds them to keep the basic core values that made them who they are.