Co-Founder | Public Relations

Kristine Arambulo Keefer

There’s no arguing that Chef Thomas Keller has a keen eye for standout talent. So, when Kristine Keefer walked into the French Laundry years ago to apply for a hostess job, he saw in her immediately the potential for far more. Instead of simply welcoming guests through the front door of his The French Laundry, she was hired to be his right-hand assistant. Detail-oriented, highly organized, and able to anticipate needs ahead of the curve, she so excelled that she later became his first in-house Director of Communications. 

She held that trusted position for more than a dozen years, as Keller grew his one iconic Wine Country restaurant into the formidable The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group with nine properties – and counting – across the country. She traveled with him extensively to special culinary events, spearheaded his restaurant launches, helped fine-tune his cookbook campaigns, handled a never-ending barrage of media requests from around the globe, and celebrated its many historic accolades including its #1 back-to-back World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in 2003 and 2004, as well as the receipt of three stars for both The French Laundry and Per Se upon the Michelin Guide’s initial arrival in the US. 

Being so intricately involved in the inner workings of one of the most renowned restaurant groups in the world as it expanded while maintaining impossibly high standards served her well when she ventured out on her own, becoming a public relations consultant in 2013. She has worked with A-List clients that include World’s 50 Best, Michelin, and Forbes heavyweights: Chef Joshua Skenes/ Saison in San Francisco (three Michelin stars, World’s 50 Best), Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton/ SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg (three Michelin stars, World’s 50 Best, Forbes Five Star), Chef Michael Tusk/ Quince in San Francisco (three Michelin stars), Chef Matthew Kammerer / The Harbor House Inn in Elk (two Michelin stars), Chef Philip Tessier/PRESS in the Napa Valley (one Michelin star), Chef Aitor Zabala (two Michelin stars), Chef Steven Greene/Herons in Cary (Forbes Five Stars), The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary (Forbes Five Stars) as well as pioneering artisan producers such as Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco and La Tourangelle in Berkeley. 

Chefs are drawn to her because she speaks their language and knows what it takes to succeed in this industry. Her childhood in the Philippines primed her adventurous palate for a panoply of flavors and cultures. While studying interior design at the University of the Philippines, she grew enthralled with the delicious aromas and fascinating conversations emanating from the hospitality classes next door. So, after graduating, she moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America, then worked in the kitchens of Napa Valley restaurants before starting her own catering company.

Her years of experience have shown her how crucial it is for chefs to be well-rounded, not to simply know how to create a stunning dish that resonates, but how to inspire and manage a team effectively. 

With each restaurant client, she makes a point to not only taste their food, inspect every inch of the premises, and ascertain goals, but to even stage during part of a peak service to observe how the team prepares and performs under pressure. When it comes to nurturing her clients’ success, she knows full well that every detail matters.