Duane Keller

Chef - Proprietor, The Bird Dog

Recipient in 2001 of the James Beard Foundation Certificate, New York where he was invited to be a guest chef, Keller has won numerous awards over the years that reflect his ever-expanding inventiveness and inspirational accomplishments: the DiRona Award, Sarasota, Florida; the Gold Spoon Award at the Four Star Delta Bow Valley Inn, Calgary; the Red Seal Award at Emerald Park, Vancouver; the Wine Spectator Award; the C.C.A. Chef of the Year Award; and the Florida Top 100 Award, to name just a few. In addition to these honors, in 2002 Keller helped Julia Child celebrate her 90th birthday with dazzling gastronomic creations; he has been named frequently in Washingtonian Magazine as one of the areas top chefs hailing in their “Top 100,” “Top 50,” and “Best Brunches,” and he was featured in Gourmet Magazine when head chef at the 17th century Ashby Inn in Paris,Virginia. A native of Saskatchewan, Keller’s training under the world’s finest European chefs in Canada, including Gerald Ehler of Calgary, initiated his creative approach—that of incorporating the style and cooking techniques of old world cuisine into that which is new: “I let the food speak for itself; I don’t overwork it but put little twists on things, like my smoked salmon cheesecake.” Keller has over 25 years experience at fine hotels and restaurants along the East Coast and Canada including, of late, Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine at the Gaylord National. Keller enjoys widening his repertory working with indigenous ingredients because “The four seasons generate four different styles of food throughout the year." In addition to the respect received from fellow colleagues and food critics, Keller celebrates his passion by sharing with others through charitable work: he has created heart-healthy menus for the American Heart Association, fed the homeless and disadvantaged in Sarasota as well as Hurricane Katrina relief, and cooked for the Pentagon during rescue operations of 9/11.