Chef
Michael Tusk
Executive Chef & Owner, Quince and Cotogna
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Venue
- Quince · Restaurant
Known for
- Three Michelin-star restaurant Quince in San Francisco
- Casual Italian sister restaurant Cotogna
- Italian and French regional cuisine with Northern California seasonal ingredients
- Close relationships with local purveyors and farmers, particularly Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas
i. Biography
Michael Tusk is the chef and owner, along with his wife Lindsay, of Quince and Cotogna, two critically acclaimed restaurants in San Francisco's Jackson Square. Born in New Jersey in 1964 and trained at Tulane University, Le Bernardin, and under mentors Alice Waters at Chez Panisse and Paul Bertolli at Oliveto, Tusk opened Quince in 2003 as a 60-seat Italian-inspired fine-dining destination that has held three Michelin stars since 2017. In 2011, he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific, and his restaurants are known for celebrating seasonal Northern California produce through Italian and French regional cuisine.
Profile updated June 2026
