i. Biography
The accolade tracks a specific way of cooking: French classics handled with enough discipline to keep their structure and enough looseness to let them move. Daisy Ryan’s path runs from formal training to New York City and back to the Santa Ynez Valley, and the work shows the trade-offs that shape that kind of cooking: polish against practicality, technique against instinct, dining room precision against the grounded scale of home. The point of view stays clear. The dishes remember their source material, then adjust it with restraint.
The Climb
At the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, Daisy Ryan received the standard foundations of the profession in a setting built on rigor, repetition, and attention to detail. That kind of training tends to leave a mark on a chef’s later decisions: how to handle basics cleanly, how to repeat them consistently, and how to change them only after the groundwork is solid. The next stop, Per Se in New York City, New York, was a front-of-house position, which put her inside a room known for exacting service and gave her a direct view of how pacing, hospitality, and course flow shape the meal as much as the food itself. Opening work demands a different set of instincts from steady service: building systems, reading a room before it settles, and understanding how a restaurant begins to function as a whole. That experience widened her perspective on what a restaurant is beyond the plate, and how a dining room, staff, and kitchen all have to be aligned for the food to land as intended. Since 2018, Daisy is owner, operator, Executive Chef, co-owner of Bell's. The role covers both the day-to-day labor of running a restaurant and the longer work of defining its voice. At Bell's, her approach is legible in the structure of the cooking: French reference points, updated without being emptied out, and handled in a way that favors clarity over excess. The result is a restaurant identity built on control, consistency, and a steady respect for the form.
Today
At Bell's, Daisy’s current work continues the line connecting training, service, opening experience, and leadership. The through line is not a dramatic pivot but an accumulation of practical knowledge, each stage making the next one more exact.
Recognition
Semifinalist, Best Chef: California (2026), Michelin star for Bell's (2021), Food & Wine Best New Chef (2020), and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (2020) mark the reach of Daisy Ryan’s work. The honors point to a kitchen with a clearly held standard: careful execution, restraint in presentation, and a point of view that keeps classic French references intact while moving them forward. For Bell's, the recognition confirms a position already visible in the cooking itself. The restaurant’s identity reads as deliberate, and the awards sit as evidence of that consistency.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Daisy
What is Daisy Ryan's current role?
Daisy Ryan is Executive Chef, Co-Owner.
Where did Daisy Ryan train or study?
Daisy Ryan trained at Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park.
What recognition has Daisy Ryan received?
Semifinalist, Best Chef: California (2026).
