STUART BRIOZA & NICOLE KRASINSKI, STATE BIRD PROVISIONS

'“Nice” isn’t usually a term associated with the hottest chef in town, but in Brioza’s case it applies. And Nicole Krasinski [ ... ] shares her husband’s lack of pretension—a quality that shines through in their menu of boundary-defying plates, like Peking duck with crepes and plum sauce and sourdough sauerkraut pancakes. Since Bon Appétit gave State Bird the 2012 Restaurant of the Year award, the media attention has created a frenzy.' - San Francisco Magazine

The husband-and-wife pair Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski are changing the culinary landscape of San Francisco, ignoring perceived wisdom and doing what they enjoy most. Running what San Francisco Chronicle critic Michael Bauer called "the best-known little restaurant in the city - and maybe the country", the dynamic duois going from strength to strength, a fitting continuation of their career to date.

Stuart attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where he graduated with top honours. He then began his cooking career in the 1990s working for Chef John Hogan in Chicago at the acclaimed Savarin restaurant.

Nicole’s pastry and baking skills were first nurtured at the Red Hen Bakery in Chicago under Chef Nancy Carey.

In the spring of 2000, Stuart and Nicole were hired as Executive Chef and Pastry Chef at the legendary Tapawingo in Ellsworth, MI, a hamlet of a town with a population of 400. It was there they developed their own unique style of cooking using seasonal and local foods. In 2003, Stuart was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s ‘10 Best New Chefs’ of America for his technique and commitment to using the best local ingredients.

Restaurateur Drew Nieporent and Master Sommelier Larry Stone recruited Stuart and Nicole in 2004 to take over the kitchen at the famed San Francisco restaurant Rubicon. Their cooking quickly reestablished the decade-old restaurant as one of the top dining destinations in San Francisco, garnering numerous local and international accolades.

After starting a family and a few years of travel and exploration, Stuart and Nicole opened State Bird Provisions, introducing a new way of thinking about dinner and service. Located on busy Fillmore street in San Francisco, it takes its inspiration from dim-sum style service crossed with Michelin-star food. In fact, it has garnered its first Michelin star already.

Aside from earning legions of fans, they have received the following recognition and accolades: Food + Wine Magazine’s Best Chef All-Stars 2013; James Beard Award: Best New Restaurant 2013; Tasting Table Best Pastry Chefs of 2013; San Francisco Magazine’s Best Chefs 2013; Bon Appetit Magazine’s Best New Restaurant of 2012; 7x7 Magazine: Eat + Drink Awards; Zagat: The 10 Hottest Restaurants in the World; San Francisco Chronicle: Top 100 Restaurants; San Francisco Business Journal Forty Under 40, Class of 2013; One Michelin Star, 2014 Michelin Guide.