Richard Blais
Trail Blais | San Diego
October 2019
Richard Blais got his start behind the fish station at McDonald’s. This McSkillset combined with his seemingly inborn curiosity led Blais to The Culinary Institute of America. From there, the native New Yorker went on to cut his teeth at The French Laundry, Daniel, Chez Panisse, and El Bulli.
Seasoned with tradition and technique, and hungry to do more, Blais headed to Atlanta in 2000. He briefly oversaw a local seafood joint before opening BLAIS, and eventually, the consultancy group Trail Blais, which conceived a number of the city’s most popular restaurants (and earned Blais a StarChefs Rising Star Concept Award in 2012).
Blais is perhaps most recognized for his appearances on Bravo’s “Top Chef.” He walked away as runner up during its fourth season. Later, his imaginative approach helped him win “Top Chef: All-Stars,” for which he eventually became a judge. Blais has also appeared on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” hosted Home Living Network’s “Cook Your Ass Off,” and has been a judge on “Master Chef.”
Following his reality TV stardom, Blais went on to open multiple restaurants: Flip Burger Boutique (with locations in the Southeast), Juniper & Ivy in San Diego, and the fried chicken and eggs concept The Crack Shack in Southern California. Blais’ 2013 cookbook Try This at Home received a James Beard Award nomination, and was followed by the release of another cookbook, So Good: 100 Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours, in 2017.
2019 StarChefs Chefs Congress Presenter
2012 StarChefs Atlanta Rising Stars Award Winner
