| Born | August 12, 1966 Manhattan, New York |
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| Cooking style | French |
| Education | California Culinary Academy |
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Ron Siegel is an American chef working in San Francisco. He is currently Chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, taking over for Chef Sylvain Portray in 2004. Siegel is perhaps best known for his 1998 appearance on Iron Chef, becoming the first ever U.S. citizen to win in Kitchen Stadium. His cooking style is known for blending haute French cuisine with subtle Japanese touches.[1]
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Moving to San Francisco from New York at the age of seven, Siegel broke into the culinary world as a butcher in Palo Alto, California. Siegel enrolled at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and in 1991 went to work as a line cook at Aqua Restaurant, a seafood restaurant in the Bay Area.
In 1993, Siegel moved to New York to work at Daniel, and returned a year later to work at The French Laundry in Yountville, California as a sous-chef to Thomas Keller.
A rising star in the making, Siegel left The French Laundry to become Chef of Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco in 1996, which specialized in a fusion of French and California cuisine.
In 2001, Siegel left Charles Nob Hill to become executive chef of Masa's of San Francisco. Siegel remained at Masa's until June 2004 when he took over the Dining Room of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Focusing on French cuisine with a Japanese influence, Siegel has maintained the Dining Room's reputation as one of the top restaurants in the country.
Siegel’s newest venture, Parallel 37 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, inspired by the geographic latitude near San Francisco is a departure from fine dining to a less formal, more approachable restaurant experience. Seeking not overly-manipulated cuisine, Siegel celebrates simpler foods from local, handpicked ingredients allowing the flavors to speak for themselves.
In 1998, Siegel gained international fame by traveling to Japan to appear as a challenger on the popular TV show Iron Chef. Siegel faced Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai in a battle using the theme ingredient lobster. Siegel was at an immediate disadvantage in the competition since neither of the two sous-chefs provided for him could speak English. Siegel produced five dishes:
In the end, Siegel swept Sakai 4-0. In a post-battle interview, and completely in keeping with the competitive tone of the show, Siegel indicated his willingness to return and defeat another Iron Chef.
The Dining Room has made Gayot's list of the Top 40 Restaurants in the US every year since Siegel took over the kitchen.
In 1999 Food & Wine magazine declared Siegel one of the best new chefs of the year.