Chef Evan Neumann
Executive Chef
"Great cuisine starts with exceptional products, but it is great teams that create unforgettable restaurants."
Evan Neumann's path to the kitchen was never in question. Born in Cavaillon and raised in Avignon, he grew up surrounded by the markets, olive groves, and culinary traditions of Provence. He entered his first professional kitchen at fourteen and was an Executive Chef by twenty-one, an achievement rarely seen at that age in French gastronomy.
His career was forged in some of the most demanding kitchens in the world: under Joël Robuchon at Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo, on the cooking and sauce stations at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, and as Sous Chef to Anne-Sophie Pic at La Dame de Pic — Le 1920 at Four Seasons Megève, where the restaurant earned its first Michelin star during his tenure. In New York, he served as Executive Sous Chef at Daniel Boulud's Restaurant Daniel and led the kitchen at Essential by Christophe to a Michelin star as Chef de Cuisine. In total, Neumann has worked across kitchens holding a combined eleven Michelin stars.
At Auro, Neumann sees the convergence of everything that has shaped him — the terroir of Napa Valley, the Four Seasons standard of service excellence, and the opportunity to build a restaurant with distinctive culinary identity and longevity. His cuisine is rooted in French technique, influenced by the flavors of Mexico and Japan, and driven by what he calls ingredient truth: allowing the product to lead, with technique in service of clarity rather than complexity.
An avid fisherman and devoted farmers market regular, Neumann finds balance between the open water and the morning harvest. He lives in California with his partner Julie and their cat Mykko.