Arturo Guzman began his culinary career at the age of 17 as a dishwasher at Meadowood in the Napa Valley where he rose through the ranks to become the Executive Sous Chef over a 20 year period. His time at Meadowood gave him the opportunity to learn from a long series of expert European trained Executive Chefs as Meadowood often changed kitchen leadership. Arturo describes Meadowood as his personal culinary academy where he could learn something every day and where he became every executive chef’s right hand in order to absorb as much culinary wisdom as is humanly possible.
In 2009, after having managed most kitchen departments at Meadowood, Arturo joined Dawn Ranch Lodge as the executive chef, a position he only recently left before coming to the French Garden. Arturo’s elegant plating style belies a simplicity of design that is unpretentious though expertly crafted. Tasting Arturo’s food, one is immediately struck by the freshness and bright flavors that are the unique essence of California Cuisine and reflective of the French Garden’s emphasis on Sonoma County Regional Cuisine. The breadth of his training is reflected in the variety of flavors and dishes his menus offer.
In approaching the kitchen staff, Arturo is a gentle teacher, but ever insistent on teamwork and the consistency of execution, the kitchen habits that are required for achieving perfection with every dish. Perfection is indeed the best description we can offer for his food.