A California native, Chef Fraser began his culinary career in Los Angeles, while pursuing an anthropology degree at University of California, San Diego. Chef Fraser’s first foray into fine dining was a two-year tenure at The French Laundry under the mentorship of Thomas Keller. In 2003, Fraser broadened his perspective on global haute cuisine with a move to Paris, cooking at the reveredTailleventandMaison Blanche. Fraser eventually returned to the US and took the position of Executive Chef at Manhattan’s Compass, where he received two stars from The New York Times and was named one of four “chefs to watch” by Esquire in 2006.
In 2007, Fraser opened his first restaurant, Dovetail, which has received constant praise from critics over the years, including three stars from The New York Times and consecutively holding a Michelin star since its first receiving the honor in 2011. Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Dovetail offers an intimate dining experience showcasing Chef Fraser’s award-winning contemporary American cuisine and creative use of seasonal, farm-fresh ingredients and was one of the first fine dining restaurants in New York City to offer vegetarian and vegetable focused prix fixe menus. The flagship restaurant continues to receive accolades in its 8th year, a 2015 recipient of both the Wine Spectator’s Best Restaurant Award and The World of Fine Wine’s World’s Best Wine List.
In early 2014, Fraser teamed up with famed hotelier André Balazs to open his highly anticipated contemporary American restaurant, Narcissa, in New York’s The Standard East Village Hotel. The partnership was a first for Fraser and allowed him exclusive access to produce from Balazs’ 40-acre farm in upstate New York, Locusts on Hudson.
Narcissa has received acclamations quickly in its first year from The New York Times, VOGUE, Gotham Magazine and Zagat declaring Narcissa one of the “hottest restaurants in NYC.”
With his latest project, Fraser along with partner James Truman have created, NIX, a seasonal vegetarian restaurant located in Greenwich Village. Steps away from the Union Square Greenmarket, where a majority of restaurant’s produce is sourced, NIX features an array of approachable vegetarian dishes, drawing from Fraser’s passion for cooking with vegetables, since switching to a vegetable based diet in 2011.
Fraser trains in Muay Thai and is a marathon runner.
Describe your culinary philosophy in 4 words…
Kiss it simple, stupid.
What is your greatest inspiration?
Any vegetable that has just been freshly dug out of the ground.
- 1 Michelin star
103 W 77th St
New York
NY 10024
United States
