Gabriel Rucker
Gabriel Rucker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 or 1982 (age 43–44)[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Santa Rosa Junior College |
| Occupation | Chef |
Gabriel Rucker is an American chef and owner of the restaurants Le Pigeon, Canard, and previously Little Bird Bistro, in Portland, Oregon.[2] He has received two James Beard Foundation Awards.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Gabriel Rucker was raised in Napa, California.[2] As a child he watched the Great Chefs franchise which inspired him to begin cooking.[4] After attending high school in the San Francisco Bay Area, he enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College in 1999.[1] He began a two-year culinary program at the college, but ultimately dropped out in favor of working in kitchens.[4]
Career
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Rucker worked at various restaurants in California until 2002, at which point he moved to Portland, Oregon, to experience its culinary scene. He worked at Paley's Place and was mentored by Vitaly Paley. He went on to become the head chef at Colleen's Bistro. By 2007, Colleen's Bistro was renamed to Le Pigeon under Rucker's management.[3]
Rucker was a Food & Wine "Best New Chef" in 2007. He won the Rising Star Chef award at the 2011 James Beard Foundation Awards.[5] He was nominated as Best Northwest Chef in 2012.[6] In 2013, he won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Northwest Chef[7] and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2025.[8] Rucker released a cookbook in 2013 titled Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird.[2] In 2018, he opened his third restaurant, Canard, next door to Le Pigeon, which offers "French bar food".[9][10] He also offered cooking lessons and worked as a private chef during the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]
Rucker trained actor Nicolas Cage for his role as a Portland chef in the 2021 film Pig.[13] That same year he appeared as a guest judge in the cooking competition show Top Chef. On the show he prepared a pigeon dish, and contestants were tasked with identifying the dish's ingredients in the dark before recreating it.[14] Rucker spoke at a TEDxPortland conference in 2024.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Rucker is married and has three children.[15][16] He previously struggled with alcoholism but became sober in October 2013.[17][18] Rucker helped to found the Portland chapter of the nonprofit organization Ben's Friends after he found support in the organization.[18] He has tattoos of birds on his arm,[19] and the name of Le Pigeon was inspired by a pigeon tattoo of his.[4]
Bibliography
[edit]- Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird (2013)[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Russell, Michael (2012-02-05). "The making of chef Gabriel Rucker: talent, hard work and 'Ruck Luck'". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ a b c d Lucchesi, Paolo (2013-12-11). "Interview: Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon on Portland, good restaurants and creative freedom - Inside Scoop SF". Insidescoopsf.sfgate.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
- ^ a b c "Gabriel Rucker, iconic Portland chef and owner of Le Pigeon and Canard, will take the TEDxPortland stage". kgw.com. 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ a b c "Gabriel Rucker". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ Vermillion, Allecia (2011-05-09). "Winners: 2011 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards". Eater. Archived from the original on 2021-05-03. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "Le Pigeon's Gabriel Rucker on James Beard Award No. 2, ditching the tuxedo and getting out-drunk by Mario Batali". The Oregonian. 2013-05-07. Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
- ^ Canavan, Hillary Dixler (2013-05-06). "Winners: 2013 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards". Eater. Archived from the original on 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ DeJesus, Erin (2025-01-22). "Oregon's 2025 James Beard Awards Semifinalists Are Here". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "Gabriel Rucker to Open New Restaurant, Blue Star Moves, and More PDX Food News". Portland Monthly.
- ^ "Gabriel Rucker's Canard is 2018's Best Restaurant (So Far)". Portland Monthly.
- ^ Frane, Alex (2020-03-25). "Le Pigeon and Canard's Chef and Co-Owner Will Be Streaming Live Cooking Classes on Instagram". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-07-02). "Le Pigeon Chef Gabriel Rucker Is Now Cooking Five-Course Meals in People's Homes". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "An Oral History of How Pig, the Sublime Film Shot and Set in Portland, Found Its Heart". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2021-06-11). "'Top Chef' Portland: Gabriel Rucker guest stars, while a bad choice dooms a fan favorite (Episode 11 recap)". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "Gabriel Rucker". Anthology - All Classical Radio. Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ Centoni, Danielle (2017-06-12). "How a Hard-Partying Chef Got in the Best Shape of His Life". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "How 2 Portland chefs got sober in a boozy business". news.streetroots.org. Archived from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ a b Dinh, Elizabeth (17 February 2022). "'Relentless advocate': Chef Gabriel Rucker opens up about sobriety". KOIN. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ "Gabriel Rucker's Canard Is 2018's Best Restaurant (So Far)". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2025-05-26.