Chef Rudolph is the Executive Chef of Madera, the signature Michelin-starred restaurant at Rosewood Sand Hill® in Menlo Park, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ newest addition to its collection of distinctive properties.  Chef Rudolph comes to Madera following two years as Executive Chef at Taj Hotels’ famed Campton Place in San Francisco, where he was named one of StarChef.com’s Rising Star Chefs in San Francisco.  During his tenure, Madera has been awarded a 1 Michelin star rating for two consecutive years.  Chef Rudolph is also working with the French Culinary Institute as a member of the Culinary Arts Program Advisory Board.

Chef Rudolph became interested in cooking while growing up in Martinez, an East Bay town near San Francisco, where he was surrounded by fresh produce that grew in his grandparents’ garden.  Spending time in his grandmother’s kitchen eventually led him to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, graduating in 1995.  Shortly thereafter, he began his culinary career as a pastry chef at San Francisco’s Brasserie Savoy.

Chef Rudolph refocused on savory cooking by making his way into the kitchens of fine hotels, spending 10 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.  His career with the luxury hotel brand began at the award-winning Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead.  He eventually returned to the West Coast as Sous Chef at Jer-Ne in The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, and as Chef de Cuisine for Navio at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.

At Madera, Chef Rudolph is coming back to cooking the cuisine he is most comfortable with – refined yet approachable food that honors the many culinary traditions of the Western United States.  The well-crafted, market-driven cuisine with bold flavors will be centered on a wood-fire grill and hearth, “the cuisine really has a timeless flavor to it, enhanced by the Oak and Almond woods we use to cook with.” says chef Rudolph.  Madera’s menus will be highlighted by sustainably harvested and produced seafood and meats that are paired with the bountiful harvest of the surrounding farming communities.

Chef Rudolph lives in San Francisco with his wife, Kristie and son, Logan.  In his free time, he is an avid cyclist.