About me
Executive Chef and Co-owner Suzanne Goin was born in Los Angeles to food-obsessed Francophilic parents. By the time she graduated with honors from Brown University, she had worked at Ma Maison and L'Orangerie in Los Angeles, Al Forno in Providence and the Roux brothers' Le Mazarin in London.
In 1990 Goin went to work at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley. After two years, Goin followed her dream of working in France at Didier Oudill's two-star Pain, Adour et Fantasie, Alain Passard's three-starred Arpege in Paris, and Patisserie Christian Pottier.
In 1993, Goin returned to the USA as Sous Chef at Todd English's Olives in Boston before taking over as Chef at Alloro, where she was named "Best Creative Chef" by Boston Magazine in August 1994.
She returned to Los Angeles in 1995 and spent two years at Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel's celebrated restaurant Campanile, first as Sous Chef and then as Executive Chef.
In September 1998, Goin opened Lucques in West Hollywood with her business partner, Caroline Styne. In July 1999 she was named one of Food & Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs." Lucques was also hailed as a favorite by Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Bon Appétit and Saveur. In May 2002 the Los Angeles Times awarded Lucques a prestigious three stars.
In December 2002, Goin and Styne opened their second restaurant, AOC. The Los Angeles Times gave AOC three stars and the restaurant received rave reviews in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, O Magazine, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit and Wine Spectator.
Goin and her husband, fellow chef David Lentz, opened a casual seafood restaurant in Hollywood called The Hungry Cat in March 2005. Again the reviews were fantastic from the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Variety and Food & Wine. Two years later in April 2007, Lentz and Goin opened a second The Hungry Cat in beautiful Santa Barbara. The culinary couple have been photographed for articles in Wine Spectator, Vogue and Town and Country.
In November 2005 Goin's cookbook Sunday Suppers at Lucques was published by Alfred A. Knopf. It received excellent reviews in Newsweek, Food & Wine, Elle and the Los Angeles Times. Now in its third printing, the book won the James Beard Foundation's award for Best Cookbook From a Professional Viewpoint in May 2006. Goin also won the Best Chef California award from the James Beard Foundation that same night.
In March 2008, Goin was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef award. That same month Los Angeles Magazine named Lucques the No. 1 restaurant in Los Angeles.
Awards, Honors and Societies
1999 Food and Wine Magazine's "Best New Chefs"
2008 nominee for the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef
(Lucques) No. 1 restaurant in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Magazine
United States Chef
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