Michael Tusk

Growing up in northern New Jersey surrounded by apple orchards, corn fields and strawberry patches, Mike Tusk acquired an intense interest and curiosity about food at a very early ago.  But it was later, after graduating from Tulane with a degree in Art History that Tusk dedicated himself to the culinary arts formally, and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.Upon graduation from the CIA and desiring broader knowledge of the food and culture of Italy and France, Tusk decided to cook and travel extensively throughout Europe, in the process gaining valuable insight into both creative and technical aspects of the two cuisines. In Provence, he trained in the kitchen of the Hostellerie de Crillon, a Relais & Chateaux property, and in Burgundy at theOne Michelin starred restaurant Moulin de Martorey.  But it is the regional cuisines of Italy that have captured Tusk’s interest most avidly while cooking in Barbaresco at Antica Torre.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Tusk has contributed to the success of many well known restaurants including Stars, Oliverto and Chez Panisse.  Most notable was his time spent at Chez Panisse under the influential tutelage of Alice Waters and then chef, Paul Bertolli. Tusk went on to become Paul Bertolli’s chef de cuisine at Oliverto Restaurant in Oakland.

Drawing inspiration from regional Italian cuisine, Tusk along with his wife, Lindsay opened Quince in December 2003.  The restaurant opened to favorable reviews garnering three stars from the San Francisco Chronicle and Tusk was awarded San Francisco Magazine’s 2004 Rising Star Check of the Year.