Richard is a successful chef, restaurateur, James Beard Award–nominated cookbook author, and television personality. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he went on to train at some of the world’s most esteemed restaurants, including The French Laundry, Daniel, Chez Panisse, and El Bulli. He then relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he established Trail Blais, a forward-thinking culinary consulting group that has designed and launched popular eateries across the country, including multiple locations of Flip Burger Boutique in the Southeast and Juniper & Ivy and The Crack Shack restaurants in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Blais’s debut cookbook, Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate, was a finalist for a James Beard Foundation Award. Widely recognized from Bravo’s Top Chef series, Richard was the winner of the inaugural Top Chef All-Stars season. Currently, he co-hosts FOX’s Next Level Chef. He regularly appears on Food Network programs such as Guy’s Grocery Games and Beat Bobby Flay.
