Blais worked at restaurants while in college; he received the 2-year
AOS in
culinary arts from
The Culinary Institute of America. After graduation, he was invited to complete a fellowship in the fish kitchen. He has studied under chefs
Thomas Keller at
The French Laundry,
Daniel Boulud, and
Ferran Adrià. He also trained at restaurants
Chez Panisse and
elBulli. Blais relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2000 to run his own restaurant called Fishbone. Initially, he was unimpressed with traditionally
Southern ingredients but found ways to use them in his own style. He has founded Trail Blais, a culinary company that seeks to perform consulting, design, and operational services in Atlanta eateries. In July 2011, Blais signed a cookbook deal with Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House. On February 26, he released his debut cookbook,
Try This at Home: Recipes From My Head to Your Plate, a cookbook for home cooks to reinvent classic dishes.
Try This at Home was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award 2014 in the category of Cookbook: General Cooking. Blais later opened Juniper & Ivy with Michael Rosen in
San Diego, California, his first West Coast venture. He and Rosen most recently opened Crack Shack, a fine-casual fried chicken concept with multiple locations in Southern California and Las Vegas. Also in 2017, Blais began hosting a weekly
podcast about the culinary industry called
Starving For Attention. In 2020, Blais and
iHeartRadio launched the game-show-style podcast "Food Court with Richard Blais", which features guests including celebrity chefs, actors, writers, comedians, and other podcasters debating classic food arguments. In 2023, Blais authored
Plant Forward: 100 Bold Recipes for a Mostly Healthy Lifestyle, a
plant-based diet cookbook in which dairy and meat are not abandoned entirely but the main focus is on plant dishes. In 2024, Blais has partnered with the
Hyatt Regency in
Scottsdale, AZ. He will debut multiple new dining experiences as part of the Scottsdale resorts $110 million dollar renovation.
Top Chef Blais appeared as a contestant on the 4th season of
Bravo's
Top Chef. He was the runner up, losing to
Stephanie Izard. In 2010, he competed in
Top Chef: All-Stars and won the competition, earning the title of "Top Chef" by defeating Mike Isabella in the season finale, which aired on March 30, 2011. He was a recurring judge in seasons 12 and 13 and on Season 18, Top Chef: Portland.
Other television appearances Blais is a regular on the
Food Network, with recurring appearances on ''
Guy's Grocery Games'' as a judge, and as a competitor, and has also hosted Food Network's
Hungry Games, and
Halloween Baking Championship. He competed in
Food Network's
Tournament of Champions (TV series) and the second
Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage tournament on November 4, 2015, winning his preliminary match and advancing to the finals; he had been a recurring judge on that series since season 12. He also has a recurring role as a judge in the
Masterchef and
Masterchef Junior franchises. In 2015, Blais was the host of HLN's "Cook Your Ass Off", a transformational culinary contest that focused on healthy cooking competition. In 2017 he became the host of "Man v. Master," He is currently a judge on
Gordon Ramsay's
Next Level Chef.
Restaurants Blais is currently or has been involved with the following: • Juniper & Ivy – An American restaurant that opened in
San Diego on March 3, 2014. At Juniper & Ivy, Blais offers refined, American cuisine with a "left coast edge." The restaurant was designed by The Johnson Studio at
Cooper Carry. • The Crack Shack – Blais partnered with chef Jon Sloan and Michael Rosen on this second San Diego–based restaurant, which opened in late 2015. The restaurant "serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner via an all-day menu that revolves around chicken and eggs, from fried to grilled and everything in between." •
FLIP Burger Boutique – Blais was formerly involved with and co-founder of burger-focused restaurant FLIP Burger Boutique, with three locations in
Atlanta, one in
Birmingham (closed), and a location in Nashville, Tennessee (closed). Blais is no longer involved with the FLIP chain. • Ember & Rye – Blais has been named as the chef for a restaurant scheduled to open at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in
Carlsbad, CA. The restaurant is part of the property's $50 million renovation project. • Four Flamingos, A Richard Blais Florida Kitchen – opened in December 2021 at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in
Orlando, Florida. • Kestrel, A Richard Blais Kitchen + Lounge opened in 2024 at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in California • Tiki Taka – a Japanese and Spanish
tapas style restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. • La Zozzona – an Italian American restaurant also located at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort. Both Scottsdale restaurants opened at the end of 2024 following the resort's $115 million renovation project. In addition to the two main restaurants, Blais helped curate the menus for four other dining areas on the property, including the poolside restaurants and lobby bar. ==Other activities==