Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley

Four Seasons Tenure

• Originally 2020; now since 2026
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Sous Chef, La Dame de Pic — Le 1920, Four Seasons Hotel Megève, France

Employment History

• Essential by Christophe, New York; Restaurant Daniel — The Dinex Group, New York; La Dame de Pic — Le 1920, Four Seasons Hotel Megève; Le Prieuré Baumanière, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon; Restaurant L'Essentiel, Avignon; Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris; Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo — Restaurant Joël Robuchon, Monaco; La Maison de Bournissac, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Education

• Technological Baccalaureate in Hospitality and Culinary Arts, École Hôtelière d'Avignon, France

Birthplace

• Cavaillon (near Avignon), Provence, France

Languages Spoken

• French, English

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 14 and trained formally at the École Hôtelière d'Avignon. By 21, he was an executive chef, an achievement rarely seen at that age in French gastronomy. "I knew early that this was my life," he says. "Cooking was never a career choice. It was an instinct."

His first professional kitchen set the tone for everything that followed. At La Maison de Bournissac, a Michelin-starred restaurant nestled among the vineyards near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, he learned that great cooking begins before the stove is lit. "Every morning, we would go into the garden to pick vegetables, fruits, and fresh herbs for the day's service. That experience taught me that great cuisine begins long before stepping into the kitchen." That instinct — to start with the product, to let the ingredient lead — has remained the foundation of his approach ever since.

What followed was a decade forged in some of the most demanding kitchens in the world. He trained under Joël Robuchon, the chef Gault & Millau named "Chef of the Century" and the most Michelin-decorated chef in history, at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo. He then worked the cooking and sauce stations at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, the legendary three-Michelin-star dining room where Ducasse's philosophy of "naturalité" demanded absolute precision and restraint. From there, he served 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 and where Neumann first experienced Four Seasons culture of service excellence.

His move to the United States brought him to Restaurant Daniel, the flagship of Daniel Boulud, one of the most influential French chefs working in America, where he served as executive sous chef across the restaurant's two-Michelin-star operation. He then joined Essential by Christophe as chef de cuisine, leading the kitchen to a Michelin star and overseeing daily operations of one of New York's most acclaimed dining rooms.

In total, Neumann has worked across kitchens holding a combined eleven Michelin stars, and was part of the leadership team at two restaurants that earned their first star during his tenure.

At Auro, Neumann sees the convergence of everything that has shaped him. "What drew me here is everything coming together in one place: the terroir of Napa Valley, Four Seasons standard of service excellence, and the opportunity to build something with a distinctive culinary identity and longevity." His cuisine is rooted in French technique, influenced by the flavours of Mexico and Japan, and driven by the seasons and producers of Napa Valley. His passion is sauce work and vegetables, and his approach is guided by a single principle: let the product tell the truth. "I want every dish to reflect the season, the land, and the hands that grew it."

His travels continue to deepen his perspective, particularly time spent in Japan, where he explored the culture of umami, precision, and deep respect for the ingredient. "Japan changed the way I think about restraint and clarity on the plate," he says. "Those principles are now inseparable from how I cook."

Beyond technique, Neumann is driven by the culture inside his kitchen. He believes that mentorship, discipline, and calm authority are what separate a good restaurant from an enduring one. He is committed to developing the next generation of chefs, building teams with purpose, and creating an environment where every individual contributes to the guest experience.

Outside the kitchen, Neumann is drawn to the water. An avid fisherman, he finds balance offshore, disconnecting from land and reconnecting with the calm and vastness of the open sea. He is equally at home at a farmers market at dawn. "I cannot walk through a farmers market without buying something, even if I went there with no plan to cook. I almost always come back with too many vegetables and a new idea for a dish."

Neumann moved to California with his partner Julie and their cat Mykko, who also made the cross-country journey from New York. He is a member of Euro-Toques, the Disciples d'Escoffier International, and the American Culinary Federation.