they can make more hellacious. And it was just like the hazing and bullshit you see as a freshman in college.” However, Chef Carney is quick to note that those individuals did go on to turn their lives around. After The French Laundry, Chef Carney worked for a number of hotels before taking up his current role as the executive chef at Ditas Marin in 2023. On assuming the position, he found himself having to apply his practical approach to work on a range of issues. “It’s a different direction than I saw myself going in, but it’s a cool challenge. I turned that kitchen around, and we started fixing systematic issues. Entree ticket times when I first got there were thirty to forty minutes, which is just obscene, so I brought that down to five to seven minutes. There were just extremely weird practices happening. The restaurant had really good leadership and really good chefs, and then the chefs left.” Chef Carney was left to pick up the slack, teaching a group of less experienced chefs ways to maximize efficiency, such as by tempering lamb at room temperature to reduce cooking time. C hef Carney’s improvements allowed Ditas Marin to extend its hours of operation. When he joined, the restaurant was only open for dinner. Today, the restaurant serves brunch and lunch. Similarly, the chef has transformed the menu from European–Asian fusion fine dining cuisine to a coastal Californian-themed selection. With these changes, Chef Carney had to learn how to delegate responsibility. On a number of occasions, he found that other people’s inputs resulted in dishes that both surprised and delighted him. He cites the hot soups that his chef de cuisine devised as examples, particularly
young chef was so short on time that he had to resort to taking seven-minute power naps in his car between work and school. At times, he remembers being so exhausted that he would occasionally fall asleep at red lights in broad daylight. This may sound extreme, but Chef Carney is resolute that this challenging period played a role in building his character. “Once you’ve done that, it really carves who you are as a professional, and it teaches you some of the discipline and strength that you need to be successful in this world, especially in the culinary world.” After graduation, a fellow former student friend of Chef Carney asked if he could assist with moving to Napa, California. Realizing that this was another opportunity to expand his horizons, Chef Carney agreed. Shortly after, he found work at the Michelin Star–winning, Thomas Keller restaurant, Bouchon, working directly under the British Chef Ross Melling, whom Chef Carney describes as both one of the top three most talented chefs he’s ever worked with and as sadistic and brazen as Gordon Ramsay. “I had never seen a kitchen so intense and so demanding. They would do 350 to 380 covers in the morning and another 220 to 270 in the evening, 7 days a week, and it was only 4 cooks on the line that would do it. Learning to work at that efficiency and speed and intensity, and with that much dexterity and focus was crucial to who I became as a chef.” After three years at Bouchon, Chef Carney transferred to another Thomas Keller Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry. This had been his goal since shortly after arriving in the area, yet when he began in this kitchen, he soon found the environment to be exceedingly toxic. “Some chefs were not making the healthiest choices in the world, and it affected their mental clarity, mood, and so on and so forth. And then there would be some sous chefs that just make a competition out of seeing whose day
Chef Carney had to learn how to delegate responsibility. On a number of occasions, he found that other people’s inputs resulted in dishes that both surprised and delighted him.
the broccoli and cheddar soup and clam chowder. Together, he and his colleague created interpretations of these classics that are more brothy than gravy-esque. Without the input of the chef de cuisine, Chef Carney states, “I—at that time—I don’t think I would have added that, and they ended up doing them very well.” He also adds, “I think the majority of people that notice the difference are really excited about it.” Similarly, Chef Carney has used his position at Ditas Marin to put a unique spin on the lobster roll. “Instead of doing it cold and with the lemon juice and whatnot that’s pretty traditional, we toast the roll nice and warm in clarified butter, and then we warm the lobster up in butter emulsion and dress it with sauce bearnaise with tarragon reduction as well as chopped green herbs inside. So, very French, very different, but just sumptuous and super delicious.” With each passing day, Ditas Marin is becoming ever more unique thanks to Chef Carney’s approach. For instance, at
present, every ingredient is sourced from within one hundred miles of the restaurant’s San Francisco Bay Area location, and he is currently working to reduce this to an even smaller area. Similarly, he is also working on improving the Ditas Marin customer experience by personalizing the service to each individual guest, such as by offering samples of dishes while the guest is going through the menu. Chef Carney’s unlikely journey to a top chef in the restaurant industry proves that the only way to truly master any art is through dedication. By challenging himself, shifting focus, and evaluating what others have to offer, he has the potential to inspire all of us.
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