Daniel Patterson

Daniel Patterson is a chef, restaurateur, and food writer. Born in Massachusetts, Patterson moved to California in 1989. In 1994, at the age of 25, he opened his first restaurant in Sonoma, named Babette’s. In 2000, he opened Elisabeth Daniel in San Francisco, and it was nominated “Best New Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation. Patterson’s restaurant group, DPG, now oversees six locations: COI (2006), ALTACA (2013), ASTER (2014) and Alfred’s (2016) in San Francisco, Plum Bar (2010) and Haven (2011) in Oakland. His flagship, two Michelin star restaurant, COI, earned him worldwide reputation as a California cuisine pioneer. Patterson is also the co-founder of The Cooking Project, a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to teaching kids and young adults fundamental cooking skills. Most recently, Patterson has teamed up with LA chef Roy Choi (Kogi, Pot, and Commissary) to launch a fast-food chain called LocoL. LocoL aims to “supplant the fast-food chains and convenience stores that separate our youth from the taste of real food.” The first outpost opened in LA’s Watts neighborhood in January of 2016, followed by 5 more locations on the horizon in Bay Area and Los Angeles “food deserts.” Patterson has received numerous awards and accolades, including “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine Magazine in 1997 and “Chef of the Year” by San Francisco Magazine in 2007. In spring of 2014, COI was recognized among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants (#49) and Daniel was awarded “Best Chef: West” by the James Beard Foundation. Patterson’s food writing has been published in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Financial Times, San Francisco Magazine, and Lucky Peach. In 2004, he co-wrote Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Foods and Fragrance (Artisan) with longtime friend and perfumer Mandy Aftel. His most recent book, COI: Stories and Recipes (Phaidon) was published in October 2013.