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  Winery Chef Jeff Starr
  Celebrity Chef Francis Anthony

Chef Jeffrey Starr.

Jeffrey Starr, Winery Chef for Trinchero Family Estates, is a California native, born and raised in Palo Alto, south of San Francisco. His career path led him through some of the finest restaurants in America before he found his way to the Napa Valley wine country. Jeffrey's culinary adventures began as a child, where he shared the kitchen and a love of cooking with his mother and brother. Both before and during his years at the University of California at Davis, which he entered as a Viticulture and Enology major, Jeffrey worked in restaurants. Upon graduation with a degree in Agricultural Science and Management (emphasis in Food Science), Jeffrey spent the next seven years in restaurant management, often in charge of the kitchen.

Remembering the fun he had cooking as a child, he decided to become a professional chef. Jeffrey began as Prep Cook, and was soon promoted to Sous Chef, at Dakota's in Dallas. Moving up the ranks quickly, Jeffrey was invited to help open Dallas' exclusive Crescent Club. At the gala opening festivities, featuring culinary legends Larry Forgione, Dean Fearing and Paul Bocuse, Jeffrey met Mark Miller, who would have a profound influence on his career. Although at the time Jeffrey had no expertise in southwestern cuisine, Miller was impressed with his passion, and invited him to come to Santa Fe to open the Coyote Cafe. As Sous Chef, Jeffrey trained staff and created opening menus. His tenure at the Coyote Cafe earned him an invitation to become Executive Chef at a new, celebrity-owned venture in Malibu, California, Malibu Adobe. He established the restaurant's signature southwestern cuisine, which attracted some of Hollywood's brightest stars.

Jeffrey's reputation grew and earned him consulting contracts for new restaurants in Nantucket, Connecticut and Pasadena. He rediscovered his northern California roots in the Napa Valley when renowned chef and friend Jonathan Waxman asked him to consult. When that project ended, Jeffrey found himself much in demand as a private chef and eventually started his own catering business, Starr Caterers. From the outset, Starr Caterers worked extensively with Trinchero Family Estates/Sutter Home Winery. In 1996, the Trinchero family invited Jeffrey to become the winery's full-time chef. Since October 1996, Jeffrey has prepared food and created wine pairings for the many hospitality events at Trinchero Family Estates. He was instrumental in the creation of Mary's Kitchen, the new state-of-the-art Trinchero Family Estates culinary center located at Zinfandel Ranch in St. Helena. Together with winery Director of Hospitality and Trade Education Barry Wiss, Jeffrey has been responsible for creating innovative culinary programs about food and wine for trade and consumers. His particular interest is pairing wine with foods that reflect southwestern, Asian and other non-European culinary traditions.

When Jeffrey is not in the kitchen, he enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking and riding his BMW motorcycle on the back roads near his home in St. Helena.