executive chef brian collins
Raised on the Central Coast, Brian's initial love of food was inspired by a dinner he attended in Rome at the age of 13. "It was my first multi- course dinner. The meal was prepared, from scratch, in a tiny apartment kitchen by the parents of my Aunt. I couldn't believe that people ate like this. There was so much love in that food! And it just kept coming and coming!"
Years later, while working in the kitchens of local Cafes and Restaurants, a desire for a formal culinary training grew, bringing Brian to enroll in the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Coinciding with a move that brought Brian and his young family from Shell Beach to Berkeley, was the gift of a book, "The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook". "I didn't know what half of the words in those French-Italian inspired menus meant, but I knew I was reading something honest and beautiful. That book struck a chord with me, it really drew me in. I knew without a doubt I had found my life's passion."
