Michael Tusk is the chef/owner of Quince and Cotogna in San Francisco, California. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Michael traveled to Europe to gain experience in Michelin-starred restaurants of France and Italy. When he returned to the United States in 1988, he settled in the Bay Area and started working at the legendary Stars restaurant. After a year, he began his four-year tenure at Chez Panisse before spending six years with Chef Paul Bertolli at Oliveto in Oakland.
Determined to open a place of his own, Michael left Oliveto in 2000 and opened Quince featuring Italian and French-inspired cuisine that celebrates the seasonal bounty of Northern California. Quince quickly became known as one of the city's top fine-dining destinations, and Michael gained notoriety for his relationship with local purveyors. The Tusks relocated the restaurant in 2009 to a historic 1907 brick and timber building in San Francisco's Jackson Square neighborhood, which gave them the opportunity to open a second restaurant, Cotogna, adjacent to Quince.
In its new home, Quince has been awarded a three Michelin-star rating and four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, and Cotogna has become a popular destination for rustic California-Italian cuisine. In 2011, Tusk was honored with the James Beard Award for "Best Chef Pacific."
Michael's Restaurants