Brandon Rice

The Path

Technical rigor starts with training, and the Culinary Institute of America gave Rice an early base for the exacting work that followed. From there, the line runs through kitchens where pace is unforgiving and expectations are high: sous chef at Clio in Boston, Massachusetts, then sous chef at Coi in San Francisco, California, and later Head Chef at Rich Table in San Francisco, California. Each position added another layer of control, leadership, and service-time experience, building a profile shaped by rooms where every plate has to hold up under pressure. That progression comes into focus at Ernest, which he founded in 2020. There, the discipline of formal training sits alongside the authority gained in later roles: apprenticeship on one side, command on the other. The restaurant reads as the result of that balance, with Brandon Rice using the structure of the kitchen to keep the work grounded, clear, and moving.

The Work Today

Since 2020, Ernest has been the place where Rice applies that accumulated experience as chef and founder. The kitchen’s pace suggests active exploration, with ingredients used not just for execution but for combination and exchange. On cooks and ingredients, he has said, “It keeps my cooks engaged with ingredients they may have never cooked with or paired together before.” The statement points to a management style that treats attention as part of the craft. Engagement matters as much as output, and the line between leading a team and shaping the food is intentionally thin. At Ernest, that shows up as a kitchen built to keep cooks alert, responsive, and hands-on.

Signature

Brandon's signature dishes include Beef tartare. The dish fits a chef whose career has been built in kitchens that reward precision and restraint. Its clarity mirrors the larger shape of his work: controlled, direct, and attentive to ingredient integrity.

In Their Words “It keeps my cooks engaged with ingredients they may have never cooked with or paired together before.”