See Richard at: Culinary Demonstration with Richard Blais
Perhaps most recognizable as the recent winner of Bravo’s Top Chef “All-Stars,” Richard Blais has played an influential role in hospitality for the last 15 years. He began his career, as so many young aspiring chefs do, as the “poissonier” at McDonald’s. It was here where he first dabbled in deconstruction in cuisine, – serving the “filet-o-fish” sandwiches sans top bun.
His developing passion for food and the service industry led Blais to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. As an ambitious student, he spent time between semesters studying at the French Laundry in Yountville, CA under renowned chef Thomas Keller and alongside then rising-stars Grant Achatz and Eric Ziebold. Upon graduating from the CIA in 1998, Blais ventured to New York for the opportunity to work with Chef Daniel Boulud at his famous flagship, Restaurant Daniel. He followed his professional compass to Roses, Spain and completed a brief stage at El Bulli with culinary wizard Ferran Adria.
In 2000, Blais relocated to Atlanta to oversee a local seafood concept and ultimately opened the eponymous BLAIS Restaurant to both local and national critical acclaim. His wildly creative approach to cooking and cuisine led to the establishment of Trail Blais, a forward-thinking culinary company that has consulted on, designed, and operated some of Atlanta’s most popular eateries including multiple outposts of Flip Burger Boutique and the recently announced Haute Doggery. He will also be opening a new restaurant concept in Midtown Atlanta, slated for Winter 2011. Blais has appeared on Food Network, Discovery Science and CNN and in numerous publications including The New York Times, InStyle and Food & Wine magazine.