It has been said that a prophet is without honor in his own land. And in the case of some of LA's most famous chefs, there was little honor to be found in the City of Angels – they had to leave Southern California to find fame. But several – after becoming culinary superstars – have been good enough to return.
Roy Yamaguchi left Los Angeles after shuttering his restaurant 385 North. He moved to Hawaii, where he created Roy's, an international chain with branches in Newport Beach, Woodland Hills, Downtown LA and soon in Pasadena.
Michel Richard left Citrus to open Citronelle in Washington, DC – and returned recently to open Citrus at Social in Hollywood.
Joachim Splichal departed Beverly Hills after closing Max au Triangle to work in New York. But eventually he came back – with Patina and most recently, Paperfish.
And now, Eater LA has reported that Thomas Keller is returning to Los Angeles, a decade and a half after his departure. It was back in the early ’90s that Keller was executive chef at the Checkers hotel in Downtown LA. He eventually left to create The French Laundry, Bouchon and Per Se. And it's with Bouchon that he's returning to SoCal, in a space next to the Montage Beverly Hills Hotel on Cañon Drive, across from Spago. He won't be back till 2009. But he will be back – proof that, sometimes at least, you really can go home again.
-Merrill Shindler