Keller was born in
Alsace, France, and graduated from the École Hoteliere in
Strasbourg. Beginning as a
pastry chef, he worked in various restaurants, including Auberge de L'Ill, the cruise liner Mermoz, Domaine de Chateauneuf, and
Moulin de Mougins in France, and La Cuisine du Soleil in
São Paulo, Brazil. He trained under
Paul Haeberlin,
Paul Bocuse, and
Roger Vergé before coming to
San Francisco in 1982 to revitalize the now-defunct Sutter 500. In 1986, he became co-owner and executive chef of the original
Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. He later opened a gourmet Burger Bar in
Las Vegas, Nevada, which features a $60 "Rossini Burger" made of American
Kobe beef, sautéed
foie gras, and shaved
truffles. Shortly after, he opened a second Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay. Chef Keller also opened a French-influenced steakhouse in Downtown St. Louis called SLEEK, which is regarded as the best steak house in St. Louis. He was the consulting chef at the Club XIX, at the Lodge in Pebble Beach in
Pebble Beach, California. He is the author of
The Cuisine of Hubert Keller and is the co-author of Dr.
Dean Ornish's
Eat More, Weigh Less. Keller was the first guest chef with Jean-Marc Fullsack to cook a dinner for a president (Clinton) in White House history and to train the White House chef in healthy cooking with the guidance of Jean-Marc Fullsack. == Awards ==