Thierry Rautureau

Returning Top Chef Masters competitor Chef Thierry Rautureau is the chef/owner of Rover's and Luc Restaurants in Seattle, Washington. Nicknamed “The Chef In The Hat,”Rautureau was born in the Muscadet region of France. His parents were farmers in a small agricultural community and the family cooked only what they grew. As the oldest child, Rautureau was given the chore of doing the prep for dinner; and as such he quickly became acquainted with fresh homegrown ingredients at a young age. 

At 14, he apprenticed in Anjou, France, and from there continued on a culinary Tour de France. At 20, he moved to the United States to work at La Fontaine in Chicago with Jean Claude Poilevey, the Regency Club for Joachim Splichal and at the Seven Street Bistro with Laurent Quenioux.Read More

Returning Top Chef Masters competitor Chef Thierry Rautureau is the chef/owner of Rover's and Luc Restaurants in Seattle, Washington. Nicknamed “The Chef In The Hat,”Rautureau was born in the Muscadet region of France. His parents were farmers in a small agricultural community and the family cooked only what they grew. As the oldest child, Rautureau was given the chore of doing the prep for dinner; and as such he quickly became acquainted with fresh homegrown ingredients at a young age. 

At 14, he apprenticed in Anjou, France, and from there continued on a culinary Tour de France. At 20, he moved to the United States to work at La Fontaine in Chicago with Jean Claude Poilevey, the Regency Club for Joachim Splichal and at the Seven Street Bistro with Laurent Quenioux. Rautureau moved to Seattle in 1989 and became the chef/owner of Rover's Restaurant. He won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest in 1998, and has been awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre Du Mérite Agricole by the French government. In 2010, Rautureau opened Luc, a French-American café. Being primarily local, seasonal and sustainable, Luc’s food is heavily influenced by the French comfort food Rautureau grew up eating on his parents’ farm. Chef Rautureau has been featured in Time Magazine, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, The Wine Spectator, Food Arts, New York Times, Fortune, and Business Week. Rautureau is on the Board of Directors for Food Lifeline, a non-profit that provides food to 675,000 people through food banks, hot meal programs, shelters, and more.