Chef
Ravi Kapur
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- San Francisco, California, United States
i. Biography
Ravi Kapur has been Chef/Co-Founder of Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco since 2015, and the room tracks the breadth of the cooking: layered, quick on its feet, and shaped by more than one coastline and more than one culture. Kapur frames the work through his own background: “Our culinary style reflects the two main chapters of my life: first, being born and raised in Hawaii to a native Hawaiian/Chinese Mother and a father from India.” That line gets to the method here: memory translated into service, and personal history turned into a usable kitchen language.
The Climb
California Culinary Academy was the formal start, but the rest of the record is the familiar one for a working chef: line work, repetition, service pressure, and the slow accumulation of judgment. Ravi Kapur’s early posts moved from a pizza restaurant in Wako, TX, where he worked as a cook, to The Compound Restaurant in Santa Fe, then Coyote Café in Santa Fe, each stop adding another layer of practice to his sense of pace, discipline, and flavor. The next step was up the brigade. Kapur rose through the ranks as sous chef, later becoming Head Chef at Boulevard in San Francisco. He continued as cook at Prospect in San Francisco, before taking on his role as chef at Good Good Culture Club in Mission District, San Francisco (from 2022). The throughline is responsibility, but also range: from foundational kitchen labor to positions where a clearer point of view could shape the menu and the room. Today, Ravi is founder / chef and chef/co-founder of Liholiho Yacht Club (since 2012). The name now stands for a style built from personal inheritance and tuned for a dining room that runs on energy, timing, and shared momentum.
Today
At Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco, Ravi Kapur works in a register where hospitality and timing are part of the same craft. His own description of the job is plainspoken: “What could be better than to throw a party that allows us to do what we love?” Read as trade language, it’s a clear brief: the meal is the occasion, the service is part of the making, and the restaurant is where technique has to hold up under a crowd.
Signature
Ravi's signature dishes include Tuna Poke, Duck Liver Mousse, Poppyseed Steam Bun, Calamari Ukoy, and Swordfish Katsu. The range matters: light and rich, crisp and yielding, familiar and left of center, with each plate carrying its own accent while still reading as part of the same kitchen.
Recognition
Ravi's honors include Food & Wine Best New Chefs (2016).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ravi
What is Ravi Kapur's current role?
As of 2026, Ravi Kapur is Chef/Co-Founder.
Where did Ravi Kapur train or study?
Ravi Kapur trained at California Culinary Academy.
What recognition has Ravi Kapur received?
Food & Wine Best New Chefs (2016).
