Wolfgang Puck Biography – Wolfgang Puck Wiki
Wolfgang Puck born Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American chef and restaurateur. He trained as an apprentice under Raymond Thuilier at L’Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence, at Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, and at Maxim’s Paris before moving to the United States in 1973 at age 24. After two years at La Tour in Indianapolis, he moved to Los Angeles to become a chef and part-owner of Ma Maison restaurant.
After the 1981 publication of his first cookbook, Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen, which was based on his Ma Maison recipes, Puck opened the restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982. Fifteen years later, in 1997, he and Barbara Lazaroff, his ex-wife and business partner moved the award-winning Spago to Beverly Hills. It has been recognized as one of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. since 2004. The Infatuation wrote that “Spago made Wolfgang Puck the first (and maybe only) chef you and your grandma know by name.”
His success enabled him to launch the Wolfgang Puck Companies which includes the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. and Wolfgang Puck Catering. The Wolfgang Puck Companies encompass over 20 fine dining restaurants, among the top 40 Restaurants in the U.S., premium catering services, more than 80 Wolfgang Puck Express operations, and kitchen and food merchandise, including cookbooks, canned foods, and coffee products. He is the official caterer for the Academy Awards Governors Ball, and has parlayed his celebrity into acting; his credits include Frasier, a recurring role as himself on Las Vegas, and a cameo appearance in The Weather Man. He also appeared as himself on Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters, as well as Cooking Class with Wolfgang Puck on The Food Network, and in an American Idol season finale episode where he introduced unusual foods to Kellie Pickler in comic relief segments. He was featured as a guest judge on Season 7 of MasterChef. He also made a cameo appearance as himself on an episode of Tales from the Crypt and appeared in a television commercial advertising the state of California (along with famous people such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jack Nicholson).
In 1991, he opened his fourth restaurant, Granita, a seafood restaurant in Malibu, California. The restaurant closed in 2005. Since 2003, his recipes have been syndicated worldwide to newspapers and websites by Tribune Content Agency. He is active in philanthropic endeavors and charitable organizations. He co-founded the Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation in 1982. The foundation supports the annual American Wine & Food Festival which benefits Meals on Wheels; it has raised more than $15 million since its inception. He is The Honorary Chair Chef of the “Five Star Sensation” benefit in Cleveland, Ohio, which, every two years, helps to bring $10 million to support The Ireland Cancer Foundation of University Hospitals.
One of his signature dishes at his original restaurant, Spago, is house-smoked salmon pizza. His restaurants, catering services, cookbooks, and licensed products are handled by Wolfgang Puck Companies, with three divisions: Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Catering, and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc.
He has been credited with numerous awards including, in 1985, he received a Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in a ceremony in Denver, Colorado, presented by Awards Council member Ray Charles. In 1993, Spago Hollywood was inducted into the Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. The next year it received the James Beard Restaurant of the Year Award. In 2002, he received the 2001–2002 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show, Wolfgang Puck. Spago Beverly Hills received a James Beard Foundation Outstanding Service Award in 2005. It was awarded two Michelin stars in the 2008 and 2009 Los Angeles Michelin Guide. CUT Beverly Hills was awarded a Michelin star in 2007. In 2013, he was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame. In July 2016, CUT at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore was awarded a Michelin Star. On April 26, 2017, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his work in the TV industry, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. On May 20, 2017, he was named the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) 2017 Gold Plate Winner.
Wolfgang Puck Age
He was born on July 8, 1949 in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria.
Wolfgang Puck Wife
He is married to his wife, Gelila Assefa. In 2007 he married designer Gelila Assefa in Capri, Italy. They currently live in Los Angeles and have two sons
Earlier on, Wolfgang Puck married Marie France Trouillot in 1975. They were divorced in 1980. He married Barbara Lazaroff in 1983, with whom he has two sons. They were divorced in 2003. Barbara Lazaroff co-founded the Wolfgang Puck restaurants and continues to play a key role in the business. She has been instrumental in their interior design. He became a U.S. citizen in 1999. His favorite food is macarons.
Wolfgang Puck Children
He is a father of four children. He has two sons, Cameron and Byron from his second marriage and also has two other sons from his current marriage. They are Oliver and Alexander.
Wolfgang Puck Family
He learned cooking from his mother, who was a pastry chef. He took the surname of his stepfather, Josef Puck, after his mother’s remarriage. The marriage produced two younger sisters and a younger brother for Wolfgang.
Wolfgang Puck Instagram
His Instagram handle is @wolfgangpuck.
