Chris Cosentino
Koast Maui - Kihei, HI
Chris Cosentino is a passionate chef, creator, and cyclist. The Top Chef Masters winner got his start at some of the country’s most beloved restaurants in Washington, D.C. after earning a BA at Johnson & Wales University. Cosentino then moved to the Bay Area and honed his skills at renowned restaurants such as Rubicon, Chez Panisse, and the Michael Mina Group. In his first executive chef position at Incanto in San Francisco, he elevated a neighborhood Italian restaurant to the national stage. Cosentino was a leader in the whole animal movement and the sustainable food movement. He also mastered the art of hand-crafted cured meats and created Boccalone, a celebrated artisanal salumi company.
In 2014, Cosentino opened Cockscomb, showcasing dishes inspired by San Francisco’s rich culinary and artistic history. In 2017 Cosentino expanded beyond the Bay Area with Jackrabbit in Portland, celebrating the Pacific Northwest’s rich history, ingredients, and artisans. Next, he opened Acacia House in Napa Valley to rave reviews. In 2019, Cosentino opened Rosalie Italian Soul in Houston, inspired by his great-grandmother and his Italian American upbringing.
With restaurants shuttered during the pandemic, Cosentino had time to expand his online presence, creating educational food content on Instagram and YouTube, and starting How the Sausage is Made, a podcast where he interviews chefs and others, he admires about how they achieved success.
In 2023, Cosentino channeled his New England roots to revamp the menu at Nick’s Cove, updating classic dishes to create a delightful blend of East and West Coast fish houses at this iconic West Marin destination. Most recently, Cosentino partnered with Cockscomb alums to open Koast, a celebration of Hawaiian ingredients and coastal cuisine, on Maui.
Cosentino wrote a James Beard Award nominated cookbook, Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart with Guts (2017), the seminal cookbook on offal. He also wrote Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal in (2012) and collaborated with Marvel to write Wolverine: In the Flesh (2013). Cosentino has also written for cycling magazines and is the Food & Culture Editor for Fausto.
Chris Cosentino won Top Chef Masters, earning over $140,000 for The Michael J. Fox Foundation. He supports numerous charities related to ending hunger, climate change, and promoting sustainability in food. He works with Protect Our Winters (POW), a non-profit that turns outdoor enthusiasm into climate action. Cosentino is currently creating a short documentary called Feast or Famine about food and climate change through the eyes of a chef and cyclist, supported by a grant from POW. Cosentino also collaborates with Sonoma Hills Farm, an innovator in the organic cannabis space.
