kurt steeber, executive chef/nutritional alchemist - The Ranch at Live ...

KURT STEEBER, EXECUTIVE CHEF/NUTRITIONAL ALCHEMIST
Kurt Steeber, Executive Chef and Nutritional Alchemist for The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu, is an
adherent of the slow food movement and proponent for sustainable food procurement. Prior to
The Ranch at Live Oak, Steeber worked as Executive Chef at the exclusive Ventana Inn and Spa in
Big Sur, California.
As the Nutritional Alchemist at The Ranch, Steeber is tasked with creating a seasonal gourmet
meal plan using the fresh vegetarian ingredients harvested daily to fit within a 1500/day calorie
diet. To do so, Steeber draws on both his skills as a chef and his intuitive ability to create flavor
profiles that resemble their high calorie, high flavor counterparts using the latest technology and
techniques. For example, through sous-vide, dehydration, reductions, powders, and basic
substitution, Steeber is able to give guests the same palette sensation they experience when dining
on meat or sugar when in fact it is farm-to-plate vegetarian fare.
“My goal with this cuisine is to create something beautiful that gives our guests something they
weren’t expecting. The Ranch has changed the way I approach food,” says Steeber. “While I have
always been a healthy person, having my own kitchen and organic garden has made me more
thoughtful and empathetic when it comes to the guest experience. I hope to really connect with
the guests at The Ranch and show them that it is possible to change the way they eat and not feel
deprived.”
Steeber started his culinary career training with Mark Franz, chef de cuisine and Loretta Keller,
café chef at the acclaimed Stars Restaurant in San Francisco, California led by proprietor
Jeremiah Tower, the father of California cuisine. From there he moved on to China Moon Café in
San Francisco and worked closely with Barbara Tropp prior to his time with Judy Rodgers at the
Zuni Café also in San Francisco. From 1995-1997 Steeber resided on the East Coast and
successfully opened Tapastry, an American themed tapas restaurant in New York’s West Village, a
precursor to the small plate phenomenon that soon followed in contemporary dining. Steeber
then successfully created and implemented the infrastructure needed to open a 4000 square foot
gastropub in Cleveland, Ohio before joining Ventana Inn in 2008.

For more information and reservations, please visit www.theranchmalibu.com, or call
888.777.2177.
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Media Contacts:
Melissa Amerian / Caitlin Austin
Susan Magrino Agency
641 Lexington Avenue, 28 th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212.957.3005, Melissa.Amerian@smapr.com / Caitlin.Austin@smapr.com