Thomas Dunklin, Executive Chef
B& O American Brasserie

Executive Chef Thomas Dunklin's resume is impressive and it's written all over him — in the form of tattoos. His experience working in a number of high profile kitchens across the country and with some of America's most notable names in food has inspired Chef Dunklin to take to the plate as he has to his skin, dressing up any course with a colorful and vibrant approach to creating artful cuisine.

Chef Dunklin's Background

Born and raised in New Orleans, Chef Dunklin survived long, hot Louisiana days grubbing down shellfish at the weekly "boils" in his grandparents' yard. This Sunday ritual of breaking bread with family — and sometimes baking bread with family — sowed the seeds of his vision for New American cuisine, one rooted in hard work, solid relationships with local farmers and flexibility in the kitchen and family.

After high school, Chef Dunklin left his fish fries behind for college and moved to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico, where he studied Journalism and Film. While in school, he worked at some of the city's top restaurants, including the Artichoke Café under Chef Richard Winters and Portabella's Restaurant under Italian Chef Fabrtulioizio Ventrizini.

Upon graduating, he realized his years in the kitchen were training for his true passion — cooking. Rather than finessing words and images, he was destined to finesse flavors.

His Culinary Career Path

Chef Dunklin returned to New Orleans in 2000 and began building his new career path. Working at Delmonico under celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse, Chef Dunklin learned to trust his palate.

Tugged by the dream of heading west, Chef Dunklin moved to Seattle and began working under Chef Jan Birnbaum as a Pastry and Sous Chef at Sazerac, a Kimpton Restaurant. There he drove the creation of an exciting house-made salami and meats program. Two years later, he moved over to Kimpton's Tulio in Seattle where he continued crafting cured meats working alongside Executive Chef Walter Pisano.

These skills led him to become Executive Sous Chef at Kimpton's Jsix in San Diego, then later as Executive Sous Chef at the company's Kuleto's in San Francisco. Still Chef Dunklin looked for new experiences and wanted to follow a passion for sustainability, which led him to the company's Red Star Tavern & Roast House in Portland.

Chef Dunklin's Dedication to Excellence

"It's an honor to be able to take what I've learned over my career and share it with others," Dunklin says. "The regions and culinary concepts may differ but the passion to be the very best and the desire to provide a quality experience to customers is our common ground and a great starting point when training chefs."

After 10 years in the Pacific Northwest, Chef Dunklin longed for the East Coast and joined the team at B& O American Brasserie in December 2010. And aside from all that, Chef Dunklin needs to decide how he will record his time in Baltimore in ink...