Bob Waggoner grew up in Southern California and received his first culinary training through a home economics course he took in high school.

This quickly blossomed into a lifelong career.

He began in the kitchen of Michael Roberts at Trumps in West Hollywood, then went to work for a succession of great chefs in the Burgundy region of France.

His first position as Chef was at Members, a private club in Caracas, Venezuela at age 23.

He returned to France where he met his wife and became the first American to own his own restaurant in France, the much acclaimed Monte Cristo.

He was 26.

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