Hovey's sous-chef cooks at Gary Danko, San Francisco's
only Relais Gourmand

Francis Wolf, Manoir Hovey's recently appointed sous-chef, spent time recently in the kitchens of Gary Danko, the San Francisco restaurant that, in its short existence, has already earned a five-star rating from the Mobil Guide. As a Relais Gourmand, it is also a member of the Relais & Chateaux association.

Cooking at Gary Danko (chef/owner pictured above) will not be a huge culture clash for Francis, since the restaurant shares many of the same qualities with Hovey. For instance, both have very impressive cheese carts, with more carefully aged varieties than are found at their competitors. Manoir Hovey and Gary Danko also share the vision that food does not need to be modern or highly inventive to excel. Preparations are classic and accompaniments are whatever is freshest at any given time. Here is how Mr. Danko sums it up: "My cooking is not cutting edge, I won't serve guinea pig food." The chefs at Hovey say ditto.