Roland Passot

Chef Roland is an accomplished veteran of French cuisine on both sides of the Atlantic. Growing up and training in Lyon, the culinary capital of France, he received his early training from such renowned chefs as Jean Paul Lacombe of Leon de Lyon (2 Michelin stars) and Pierre Orsi at his eponymous restaurant, also with 2 Michelin stars. Chef Roland then moved to Chicago and collaborated with acclaimed Chef Jean Banchet at Le Francais, which was widely hailed as the best restaurant in America at the time, in the 1970s.

After earning the James Beard Award for Best Rising Star chef in 1980, Chef Roland opened his own La Folie restaurant in San Francisco in 1988. He quickly earned a plethora of additional accolades, including Best Food and Best French Restaurant in Zagat in 2002, the James Beard Best Chef in California 2005 – 2007, Best French Restaurant in 7×7 Magazine, 4 stars by the San Francisco Magazine, Top 100 Restaurants and 4 stars, both by the San Francisco Chronicle. He also earned and retained his Michelin Star at La Folie for many years, starting in 2006.

After 32 years of prosperity and culinary excellence, Chef Roland made the heartfelt decision to close La Folie in 2020. Since then, he has been enjoying continued success as Culinary Director and Founder of Vine Dining Hospitality which includes such Bay Area institutions as Left Bank Larkspur, Left Bank Menlo Park, Left Bank San Jose, Meso San Jose, LB Steak San Jose and Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, as well as the soon-to-be Petite LB Tiburon and Left Bank Jack London Square.