CHEF ANDREA lawson GRAY…
BIO:
“Telling stories through food”, private chef and cookbook author/ food writer Andrea Lawson Gray began her culinary journey in New York City’s Little Italy. For the past 15 years, she has prepared meals in the kitchens of San Francisco, Paris, Puerto Rico, and "at the side of my Peruvian and Caribbean family, my best friend who is an amazing Mediterranean home cook. But, more than anything...
… my cooking style has been informed by that of Mexico, where I fell in love with the old world techniques: the time taken to grind spices with a mortar and pestle, toast seeds and chiles on a comal, working the masa to make tortillas by hand— honoring the ingredients, coaxing out the flavors in a way that nothing else can. These techniques lend themselves beautifully to the locally-sourced, organic ingredients we are blessed with in the SF Bay Area".
Author of the award-winning cookbook, Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, since 2003 Chef Andrea has cooked for ladies’ nights-out, numerous milestone birthdays and anniversaries, Bay area C-level executives from such firms as Airbnb and Google, led team-building events and catered board luncheons for Twitter and Levi Strauss, and other gatherings of up to 25 people.
CUISINES:
Mexican Haute Cuisine
Caribbean/Creole
Chef Tasting menus
Classic & New American
Cuban
Farm-to-Fork
French
French-Mex
Italian
Latin American
Mediterranean
Peruvian
Spanish
Traditional Mexican
CONTACT:
chef@chefandrealawsongray.com
WEBSITE:
415-279-2248
or use our CONTACT FORM
OUR TEAM:
Chef de Cuisine Baptiste Maillet is classically trained in France, obtaining a Baccalaureate in Hotel & Culinary Technology., after which he interned at the Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi, worked as Chef de Partie at Baroniet Rosendal in Norway and then spent a year at The Langham in London.
Team Leader James Lucas brings his experience as a production and event manager in fine dining service and upscale catering at some of the Bay Area’s most reputable companies, including BiRite Market, Fork & Spoon Productions, and Elaine Bell Catering.
Commis Chef Karla Cristina has been working side-by-side with Chefs Baptiste and Andréa for the past 2 years and is responsible for our cooking classes.
"COOKING IS AN ART FORM...
YOU FIRST HAVE TO LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS...
AND THEN, ONCE THEY’RE THERE, ONCE THEY’RE JUST PART OF YOU, AND YOU GET UP AND DO A LITTLE DANCE & YOU CAN TAKE OFF ON YOUR OWN…” -JUDITH JONES
the experience:
Over 50 FIVE-STAR reviews
“I can’t say enough great things about Chef Andrea! At the last minute, we realized I had given her the incorrect date for our dinner party. At 6:30 PM the night of the event Chef Andrea pulled her team together with zero notice and we were able to have an amazing meal for my wife’s 40th birthday party. She didn’t have to accommodate us like that at the last minute so on top of being a world class chef she’s a really great person to work with!” Mike O. January 20, 2024
“Thank you so much for a wonderful evening and an unforgettable meal. Thank you for tailoring a delicious menu to our specific preferences, we really enjoyed every single course. I think the winter caprese stood out for Anna as her absolute favorite, but she loved the whole menu. You and your whole team were a pleasure to work with and James is an all-star at hospitality and service. I can’t wait until the next time!” Joe O. December 9, 2023
“I can't thank you enough for such a wonderful evening. The food, the vibe, the service, everything was, as one of my friends described it, "first class!" Mariana and I couldn't be happier with the way this 50th birthday dinner turned out. People absolutely loved the menu! Thank you so much for all the creativity in pulling that together. Definitely a birthday to remember!”. Todd B. August 27, 2022
“Everything was indeed beyond spectacular! I never imagined you'd be able to make re-heated scallops remain tender, but they were fabulous! My 9-year-old son ate three of the ratatouille skewers and I lost count of how many empanadas, which goes to show that the meal started off with a bang and just kept going from there. Thanks so much for a memorable meal!” Dan S. Dec. 12, 2020
“Thank you, Andrea! It was such a treat and our entire family was very impressed. Look forward to recommending and using you in the future. Thank you again for a delightful evening, you are your team were fantastic.” “Scott M. October 16, 2020
Influences:
Cal-Mex Cuisine is my culinary crossroad, where I celebrate the bounty of fresh local ingredients, great seafood, and sustainable farming here in the Bay Area; and the rich heritage of Mexican cooking in California that began when the first settlers from Mexico brought their culinary tools and flavors north with them.
The old-world techniques— the time taken to grind spices with a mortar and pestle, toast seeds and chiles on a comal, work masa to make tortillas by hand— all honor ingredients and coax out the flavors in a way is almost magical.
This may mean making a Caesar salad dressing in a molcajete or making my signature Minestrone soup with roasted poblano chiles and house-made chorizo, or the way Mexican chocolate is my go-to for Chocolate Pot au Creme.
We believe that in-home dining with a private chef should be experiential, moving and memorable, enjoyed at your leisure with time taken to savor each and every dish. As part of the experience, your chef presents each course*, along with details about ingredients, local farmers and purveyors, and sometimes even a snippet of culinary history.
The dinner served to you and your guests is more than a meal— it is an execution of the culinary arts, from preparation to plating. We invite you to watch as tortillas are made by hand right in front of your guests as we prepare our signature, tableside “Molcajete Caesar Salad”, or your chef takes a torch to your steak!
BESPOKE MENUS: EVERY PLATE TELLS A STORY
Each meal, be it for a table of 4 or 14, is a story of its own. I co-write these stories through bespoke menus, creating singular moments with plot lines that you can literally “sink your teeth into”, that come to life in memories that stay with you.
Be it a personal story to celebrate a milestone birthday or an executive team dinner to celebrate your brand, I love telling your story through my food and menus. All my menus are custom designed incorporating the best of what’s available from the farmers and producers in the Bay Area.