Thomas Keller’s name is synonymous with quality and high standards. The chef and proprietor has established a collection of restaurants that sets a new paradigm within the hospitality profession. He is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide—for The French Laundry and Per Se—in addition to being awarded one star for The Surf Club Restaurant, becoming the most honored American chef by Michelin Guide, as well as the first American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of The French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France.

Chef Keller has earned countless accolades, including The Culinary Institute of America’s “Chef of the Year” Award, the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and “Outstanding Restaurateur” Awards and Michelin Guide’s Chef Mentor Award.  He holds honorary doctorates in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University and The Culinary Institute of America. Chef  Keller  led a team from the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal in the Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious biannual competition that is regarded as the Olympics of the culinary world. With more than 1.6 million copies in circulation, he is the author of six cookbooks, including the recently released The French Laundry, Per Se.

As chef de cuisine, Chad Palagi leads the culinary brigade in a collaborative manner to develop the daily changing tasting menus. With years of experience in the Per Se kitchen, Palagi was a natural choice to become the restaurant’s fourth chef de cuisine. And with his roots in restaurant management, he cultivates collaboration between the kitchen and the dining room. Palagi also focuses on teamwork in the pursuit of excellence, helping to make wonderful memories for guests.

A Napa Valley native, Palagi grew up around the hospitality world, as his father worked in restaurant management. After attending the Napa Valley Cooking School in St. Helena, he gained experience in Napa and San Francisco before heading east to join the Per Se team as commis in 2012, eventually working his way up to sous chef. In 2017, he moved back to the Bay Area, where he became chef de cuisine at Michelin-starred Rich Table. He returned to Per Se in early 2021.

“There are few places that give a chef the opportunity to succeed at such a high level,” Palagi says. “I look forward to sustaining and building off of what the previous chefs have built and to creating my own legacy.”

As Pastry Chef for Per Se, Elaine Smyth oversees the pastry kitchen from team development to menu collaboration.

Since her arrival in 2012, Elaine has been instrumental in shaping the restaurant’s pastry research and development. Her journey from Chef de Partie to Bread Baker, Sous Chef and Culinary Liaison has provided her with a deep understanding of Per Se’s inner workings and the culture running through it.

Food has always been a source of fascination for Elaine, beginning with her mother and grandmother, who nurtured her early interest in cooking and baking, teaching her to prepare miniature apple tarts, quiches, queen cakes and mousses. As a young girl, her parents took her to lunch at McNean House, where she vividly remembers the entire menu devoted to dessert, which further encouraged her fascination. During her college summers, she also credits working in a one hundred twenty-five-year-old hotel in Cape May for whetting her appetite for a life in the kitchen.

Before joining the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, Elaine honed her skills as a commis and chef de partie at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, later advancing to roles at The Devonshire and Gordon Ramsay au Trianon. Since becoming a part of TKRG, she has twice received the group’s scholarship, studying cocoa farming in Peru and learning traditional salt raking in Brittany with Chef Olivier Roellinger.

Elaine’s interests extend beyond the kitchen, with a background in history and political science, holding both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Trinity College Dublin.

As General Manager for Per Se, Sandra Bohlsen provides leadership and mentorship to the dining room team to ensure that Chef Thomas Keller’s meticulous standards of hospitality are maintained. In this role, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the restaurant and, above all, ensuring the highest quality of guest experiences. Since joining Per Se in 2013, Sandra began as a Captain and quickly rose to Maître d’ and, most recently, General Manager.

With each role, she has shown achievement and an adherence to the core values Chef Keller has set for his restaurants. Her previous experience includes working in senior management roles in international hospitality, and she brings this expertise to Per Se.

Originally from Germany, Sandra has studied with the American Sommelier Association, reaching a Level 3 Certification, giving her a strong understanding of Per Se’s comprehensive wine program. Her deep appreciation for hospitality and fine dining stems from her enjoyment of guest relations. Sandra holds a degree in hotel management from the Paul-Kerschensteiner School in Bad Überkingen, Germany.