Chef
Timothy Hollingsworth
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Venue
- Otium · Restaurant
i. Biography
The working principle is broad sourcing held inside disciplined execution. In Timothy Hollingsworth’s cooking, drawing inspiration from everywhere has meant controlled decisions rather than loose eclecticism: refinement when the plate needs tightening, generosity when the food is meant to be shared, and enough restraint to keep technique from overtaking the meal. “Always Evolve – he constantly changed the menu, we always pushed ourselves, and he made us constantly think about things critically. It was very hard sometimes, but it made us all better.” Timothy has said.
Coming Up
Commis work at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California (from 2001) meant learning the kitchen from the station level, where repetition, timing, and correction form the base of the craft. Timothy Hollingsworth entered that environment at the point where fluency is built through service: movement, restraint, refinement, and the discipline to make standards repeatable. Opening work at Per Se in New York (from 2004) required precision under the pressure of a major debut. For Hollingsworth, joining the opening team meant helping carry an established standard into a new room, a new city, and a new service rhythm without treating adaptation as compromise. Leadership inside The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California moved from sous chef (2005–2009) to Chef de cuisine at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California (2009–2012). That progression marks the shift from high-level execution to responsibility for consistency, judgment, and the daily maintenance of a demanding kitchen culture. Restaurant building in Los Angeles, California brought that fine-dining discipline into a more open register through Hollingsworth’s role as executive chef/partner at Otium (2015–2024). The work placed polish beside informality and allowed technique to serve a dining room built for energy, sharing, and breadth. His role as founder at C.J. Boyd's (from 2018) added a further building track alongside the cooking. Current work spans format as well as kitchen practice: Hollingsworth is co-founder of Chain, chef partner of Hundredfold (since 2025), and judge of The Great American Recipe. The through-line is judgment applied across restaurant, concept, collaboration, and television, each with a different demand on taste and clarity.
Today
Chain, a food concept with BJ Novak, places Hollingsworth’s current work in a collaborative and culturally responsive format. The project sits within a broader practice of chef-building: not only running a pass, but shaping concepts, teams, and the experience around the food. The present work moves between restaurant building and collaborative food concepts without abandoning the habits formed in disciplined kitchens. Clarity, timing, and intention remain transferable tools when the format changes; the craft is adjusted to the setting rather than discarded.
Signature
Signature dishes include smoked hiramasa pastrami and Grandma's Cornbread Stuffing.
Distinctions
Timothy Hollingsworth has received San Francisco Chronicle — Rising Star Chef Award. Competitive and industry recognition includes Winner of The Final Table (2018), Rising Star Chef of the Year: California (2010), Rising Star Chef (2010), and Sixth Place Winner: Bocuse d'Or (2009). The span runs from the professional pressure of Bocuse d'Or to the wider public platform of The Final Table, marking a career measured by performance, visibility, and sustained technical discipline.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Timothy
Where did Timothy Hollingsworth work before?
Earlier in their career, Timothy Hollingsworth worked at The French Laundry, Per Se, and The French Laundry.
What recognition has Timothy Hollingsworth received?
Winner of The Final Table (2018).
