Cal Peternell

Cal Peternell grew up on a small farm in New Jersey where his family tended vegetable gardens and raised an assortment of livestock. Convivial family dinners were a focal point of every day, when homegrown seasonal produce, eggs, and meats were enjoyed, opinions and stories shared. After graduating with a BFA in painting from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Cal and his wife, artist Kathleen Henderson, moved to Lucca, Italy, to pursue their art careers. While in Italy, the pervasive culture of food and wine was so seductive that, upon his return to the States, Cal embarked on a cooking career that started at Bix in San Francisco, continued to Biba and The Blue Room in Boston, and came back to San Francisco for a sous chef spot at Loretta Keller’s Bizou. Cal was hired at Chez Panisse in 1995, has been a chef in the Cafe since 2001, and took over as Chef of the downstairs restaurant in 2013, a position he holds for six months of the year and shares with another chef. Cal and Kathleen have three sons.