Traci Des Jardins

Traci is the chef and founding partner of Public House SF and El Alto Restaurant. She has spent more than 30 years in the San Francisco food community, building several successful hospitality brands, beginning with the beloved Jardinière, a destination restaurant and staple in the community that showcased Des Jardins commitment to supporting local farms and ranches. Traci’s work throughout the years has garnered her two James Beard Awards and numerous industry accolades. She also serves as culinary advisor to Impossible Foods, which develops plant-based substitutes for meat, and was one of the first chefs to place The Impossible Burger on a menu. 

Her philanthropic efforts are great, including board membership for non-profit La Cocina for more than a decade; work with World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres’ action-based, non-profit, committed to providing meals in the wake of a natural disaster, specifically in Sonoma and Napa counties; and continual support of No Kid Hungry and Share Our Strength. She has also worked with the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America effort to support independent restaurants and help them survive the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term. 

Des Jardins is the outdoorsy type when she’s not cooking, from fly fishing in Alaska and cycling through Sicily to skiing in North Lake Tahoe and waterskiing with family on Shaver Lake in the Central Sierra. She travels the world leading culinary tours through Oaxaca and has worked closely with the Misool Foundation, located in Raja Ampat, Indonesia to help conserve the ocean reefs and create a sustainable tourism model. Find her on Instagram: @tracisdesjardins.