Featured Chef

MICHAEL TUOHY ~ Executive Chef
Grange Restaurant at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento

A 31-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Michael’s career began at the age of 15 as a dishwasher at a neighborhood steakhouse in his hometown of San Francisco. Tuohy graduated from Hotel & Restaurant School at City College of San Francisco 1982. In 1985, he joined acclaimed Bay Area chef and cookbook author Joyce Goldstein of the highly acclaimed Square One Restaurant to launch its sister restaurant, Caffe Quadro, an Italian-inspired caffe/enoteca.

Working with Goldstein proved to be a pivotal experience for Tuohy. Goldstein’s love of Italian food, as well as other cuisines and cultures of the Mediterranean, was incredibly influential to Michael’s burgeoning culinary philosophy.

Armed with a passion for fresh, seasonal cooking, Tuohy came to Atlanta to launch Chefs’ Café in 1986. Chefs’ Café became known for its eclectic, inventive menu and was frequently tagged as “groundbreaking” by the local food media. At that time, Chefs’ Cafe was the only local restaurant that changed its menu frequently and cooked using local and seasonal ingredients. Tuohy brought a California ethos and aesthetic to Atlanta dining that has become commonplace today. Tuohy was instrumental in helping to start the Georgia Grown Co-op of local farmers. For the next 15 years, the Co-op would deliver the goods from a dozen local Certified Organic Farms to restaurants and markets around the city.

In 2000, Tuohy realized that he missed working with great ingredients on a daily basis to create food that he truly believed in. The prospect of cooking exciting foods that were rooted in tradition and serving appreciative customers lured him to take the leap once again to launch his own restaurant, Woodfire Grill. Woodfire would be a restaurant that would incorporate all of Tuohy’s experiences and passion for great food. Finally, in August 2002, Woodfire Grill opened to big crowds and rave reviews. Since its opening, Woodfire Grill has received numerous local and national accolades.

Today, Michael is an active member of the Slow Food movement and Chefs Collaborative. In August 2008, after 6 successful years, Tuohy sold the Woodfire Grill. He has moved back to his native northern California to launch a new seasonally influenced restaurant, Grange at The Citizen Hotel in downtown Sacramento, featuring the best of local ingredients and artisanal products. Grange and Tuohy garnered a 4 star opening review in the Sacramento Bee and continue to receive accolades from other media. Tuohy was recently invited to join the newly formed Extra Virgin Olive Oil taste panel at the UC Davis Olive Center.

Follow Michael’s culinary adventures on his informative blog.