Brandon Rice
Ernest
Cooking at:
San Francisco Gala Dinner
At Ernest, Brandon Rice toes the line between local and global. Local California produce is at the crux of his sourcing, Rice maximizes the best of what’s in season at nearby farmers’ markets to fill out his menu. While products are local, the flavors have a worldly influence, stretching every continent. For this, Brandon draws inspiration from his time spent working and traveling internationally. For him, it’s all about pairing familiar flavors with new ingredients, an ethos at the core of Rice’s cooking.
Rice started cooking in professional kitchens when he was just 13 years old in his hometown of Roanoke, Virginia. It was there he realized he could make a career out of it. He grew up to earn an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts at the prestigious Culinary Institiute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Rice then had the opportunity to travel Europe, staging in three Michelin-starred kitchens such as Quique Dacosta in Spain and Noma in Copenhagen. When he came back to the states, Rice clocked time at Boston’s Clio before moving to the Bay Area to work at Coi. This was Rice’s introduction to Northern California cuisine, focusing on local, fresh produce. From there, Rice spent 5 ½ years as Chef de Cuisine at Rich Table, where he earned the Contemporary Californian restaurant one Michelin star. Here, Rice found his voice and developed his distinct culinary style.
After nearly 18 years in esteemed fine-dining restaurants, it’s no question the natural progression for Rice was to open his own restaurant.
Named after his grandfather and nurtured through the pandemic, Ernest is an elevated neighborhood restaurant with intense global influences. Drawing from his international travels, Rice effortlessly combines local ingredients and worldwide flavors to create a market-driven menu that’s innovative yet familiar. One of Rice’s signature dishes is his beef tartare. Rich beef from Olivier’s Butchery sits on a bed of plump sushi rice topped with succulent ikura. It’s then served with a side of toasted nori to make your own handrolls. This dish perfectly embodies Ernest at its core – a journey through Rice’s love of cooking and how he himself likes to eat. With the bounty of California farms at his fingertips, Rice is constantly evolving in the kitchen; playing with ingredients and flavors to create dishes that are both innovative and approachable. Just as Ernest’s food invokes a sense of curiosity and comfort, the space itself mimics the same ethos.
Located in San Francisco’s Mission District, Ernest is progressive without being pretentious. It’s a place where you can taste the menu over a multi-course meal with friends or simply grab a snack and cocktail at the bar. With no dress code and Rice’s favorite classic rock and hip-hop hits turned up, Ernest is unapologetically honest.
Brandon Rice cooks locally but thinks globally. The root of his cooking is simple – utilize the freshest seasonal ingredients to create distinctive food with a worldly influence.
At just 13 years old, Rice started cooking in professional kitchens in his hometown of Roanoke, Virginia. He realized early on that he wanted to make cooking his lifelong career and received an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. Rice went on to work under the tutelage of Ken Oringer at Boston’s Clio. Working closely with Ken, Rice had the opportunity to travel to Europe where he staged in three Michelin-starred kitchens such as Quique Dacosta in Spain andNoma in Copenhagen. After his year abroad, Rice came back to work with Ken at Clio before moving to the Bay Area
Moving across the country was Rice’s introduction to Northern California cuisine, with an emphasis on local, fresh produce. He first worked at Coi before spending over five years as the Chef de Cuisine at Rich Table; Rice earned the Contemporary California restaurant its Michelin star. After nearly 18 years in esteemed fine-dining restaurants, Rice was able to establish his own voice and develop his distinct culinary style. It’s no question the natural progression for Rice was to open his own restaurant. Named after his grandfather and nurtured through the pandemic, Ernest is an elevated neighborhood restaurant with intense global influences. Drawing from his travels and experiences, Rice has created a market-driven menu that is innovative yet familiar. One of Rice’s signature dishes is the beef tartare. Rich beef from Olivier’s Butchery sits on a bed of plump sushi rice topped with succulent ikura. It’s then served with a side of toasted nori to make your own handrolls. The dish embodies Ernest at its core – a journey through Rice’s love of cooking and how he himself likes to eat. With the bounty of California farms at his fingertips, Rice is constantly evolving in the kitchen; playing with ingredients and flavors to create dishes that are both innovative and approachable.
Just as Ernest’s food invokes a sense of curiosity and comfort, the space itself mimics the same ethos. Located in San Francisco’s Mission District, Ernest is progressive without being pretentious. It’s a place where you can taste the menu over a multi-course meal with friends or simply grab a snack and cocktail at the bar. With no dress code and Rice’s favorite classic rock and hip-hop hits turned up, Ernest is unapologetically honest.
