THE PALMER PRINCIPLE

All American chef Charlie Palmer steps out of the kitchen to talk about food, wine, philanthropy, and his new resort project

- TIM FISH

When Charlie Palmer was a young chef at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., his instructor told the class that the sign of a great chef was the ability to create something special from unremarkable ingredients.

"That was the most asinine thing I'd ever heard. He was talking about taking something mediocre and masking it with sauce or other flavors," Palmer says, shaking his head. "I'm a huge believer in the simple premise that if you start with incredible ingredients and don't do anything stupid in the kitchen, you're going to end up with amazing food."

That simple premise has been a guiding force for Palmer since his earliest days in the kitchen. It's what led him from his modest upbringing in rural upstate New York to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), then to the vaunted River Café in Brooklyn and his own headline act at Aureole in Manhattan—an early and enormously influential northeastern regional restaurant.

It's also part of the reason why, 20 years ago, he moved his family to Healdsburg, Calif., to be closer to the source of incredible ingredients. As a partner in Hotel Healdsburg, he opened Dry Creek Kitchen on the plaza in 2001, stocking it exclusively with Sonoma County wine and sourcing most ingredients from within a 30-mile radius. Palmer also built a house and planted a vineyard outside Healdsburg, where he and his wife, Lisa, raised four sons. What's more, as Palmer looks to the future, that simple premise informs his latest venture: a collection of luxury resorts that will immerse guests in wine, food, and all things local.

Palmer was just 23 when he became chef at River Café in 1983, and only 27 when he opened Aureole in New York. Now 63, and after 40 years in the business, his ambitions show no sign of waning. At last count, Palmer has written six cookbooks, his company owns 15 restaurants and bars, and he has partnerships in six hotels.