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What’s Cooking? Acclaimed Chef Thomas Keller Buys Napa Home

What’s next for a chef at the top of his game? In late September award-winning chef Thomas Keller—owner of The French Laundry and other posh eateries (Per Se in New York City and Bouchon in Las Vegas) snapped up a 1960s ranch in Napa, CA. He paid $1.95 million for the four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home—the asking price was $1,895,000.

As with any successful entrepreneur, the guessing game begins. Will it become another restaurant? Will he tear down the property and build a new manse on the 2-acre lot? Will the splendid terroir mean the land will be turned into a vineyard? The primo property is located between the Silverado Trail and St. Helena Highway and surrounded by vineyards and wineries.

Listing photos of the current home show outdated interior décor, including wood-paneled accent walls, linoleum tile in the bath and den, emerald-green carpeting, and pastel wallpaper in the dining room.

Listing agents were tight-lipped when queried about Keller’s plans for the property. We do know Keller’s always been in love with Napa Valley, starting with the opening of The French Laundry in the mid-1990s—still a tough spot to snag a reservation—and then Bouchon Bistro, Bouchon Bakery, and Ad Hoc + Addendum, all on the same Yountville street.

Even with multiple cookbooks under his belt and the launch of Cup4Cup (baking products for the gluten-free community), he’s stayed rooted in the region. A few years ago, he opened Finesse, a store for home cooks that’s a stone’s throw from his Yountville restaurant.

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