i. Biography
Executive Chef at Capsule in Paris, France, Zach Frieling leads the kitchen at the restaurant awarded a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in 2025. The honour followed a Michelin Guide Plate in 2024 and reflects cooking rooted in French culinary fundamentals: technique, produce, and classical structure.
The Honours
Capsule has been recognized by Michelin Guide with a Plate in 2024 and a Bib Gourmand in 2025. His own words can be plain and direct: "I’m just glad I could make them all happy."
The Craft
At the Paris restaurant, Frieling applies focused, technique-driven execution to traditional French cooking. The emphasis is on fundamentals: produce handled within classical structure, technique used as the organizing force. His language can be just as specific as the plate: "I was the only one that did a pureed soup." Before Paris, his cooking at Cecily in New York City centered on seasonal, vegetable-forward dishes. The specialty there was vegetable-led cooking using the best of New York City’s markets, a materially different setting from a French kitchen but one that kept produce at the center of the work. Tokyo Turnips was identified as one of his signature dishes at Cecily. Other named dishes from that period include porcini “chicharrones” with egg yolk, mackerel toast, and butter beans with braised collards.
The Career
Frieling trained at the Culinary Institute of America. His New York résumé includes cook roles at The Four Horsemen and Jupiter, both in New York City. He also served as chef de cuisine at Claud. At Cecily, he held the Executive Chef role, where the vegetable-led market cooking and named dishes from that period give a clear view of his New York work. The current role brings him to Capsule in Paris as Executive Chef. The work recognized by Michelin Guide in 2024 and 2025 is built from technique, produce, and classical structure.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Zach
What awards has Zach Frieling received?
His work at the Paris restaurant has been recognized with a Michelin Guide Plate in 2024 and a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in 2025.
What recognition has Zach Frieling received in Paris?
Capsule has been recognized with a Michelin Guide Plate in 2024 and a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in 2025.
What is Zach Frieling known for?
He is known for focused, technique-driven traditional French cooking in Paris and for seasonal, vegetable-forward dishes from his New York City period.
