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Michael Rotondo Chef de Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton SF shares culinary passion

Sometimes, even though a chef has earned their place among the world's finest culinary artists, a handful remain humble, with an innocence and unflagging sense of discovery. And this is exactly the case with Michael Rotondo, Chef de Cuisine at San Francisco’s Parrallel 37, the Ritz Carlton’s award-winning restaurant.

It’s no accident that Parallel 37 has been ranked among the City-by-the-Bay’s top 25 restaurants, and has garnered a Forbes Travel Guide, coveted four-star rating.

Born in Weymouth Massachusetts, Rotondo started his professional culinary career as a fifteen year-old. And before long he was working at the Five-Star Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

But that’s just the beginning…he moved to Europe and worked in various Michelin star restaurants, including a coveted stint working beside culinary legend Paul Bocuse in France.

It gets better. Returning to the United States, Rotondo spent years working beside Charlie Trotter, and receiving the “Most Promising Chef” award from Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller in the epitome of international culinary competitions, the "Bocused’Or".

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a captivating visit with culinary wizard, Michael Rotondo at The Ritz Carlton San Francisco.  

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR Podcast travel show Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer via:

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.