With the ascension of Central Kitchen, the gifted and obsessive Thomas McNaughton moves up in the ranks of America's least recognized great young chefs.
Central Kitchen is his contribution to the still vague but nevertheless storied concept of California cuisine, which got under way more than thirty years ago with such dishes as Wolfgang Puck's Chinese chicken salad. More significantly, Central Kitchen demonstrates the range of McNaughton's modern haute cuisine.
(more)A central feature of the new, very open kitchen is a wood- and coal-fired rotisserie grill that will be used to enhance meat and fish preparations using different types of coals.
(more)The pastry chef will be Lisa Lu, who was last seen at Jardiniere, where Michael Bauer called her “a masterful pastry chef who has the rare ability to bring everything together in an integrated dessert.” Lu was also a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef this year.
(more)" - Chef McNaughton was recently nominated for the James Beard Foundation's "Rising Star Chef" award. - Central Kitchen was named one of 12 "Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2013" in America by GQ's Alan Richman." — The Sōsh Concierge
"The menu changes often, but if you get the chance to try the poached hen entree, get it! Easily one the best things I've ever eaten in SF." — Rishi Mandal
"The lemon cake dessert made my heart sing- it's very possibly the perfect dessert. " — Sarah Loaiza
"Splurge on the tasting menu - worth it!" — Kelly Peterson
