Diverse Cuisine from Multi-faceted Chef Fuels the Nation's Capital

Chef Jeff Tunks is one of the best and brightest in the ever-growing constellation of new American chefs.

Tunks first landed in the nation's capital in 1987, having been recruited as opening executive chef at the popular River Club Restaurant in Georgetown. In 1991 he ventured west to the luxury seaside resort Loew's Coronado Bay, where he used the riches of the Pacific to his advantage at the award-winning Azzura Point. Tunks' next challenge was yet again coastal, this time the Gulf coast. At The Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, Tunks secured a "Best Restaurant" rating from Gourmet in 1997 and he earned the prestigious Mobil Five-Star rating for the Grill Room, the highest marks bestowed by the association. The Grill Room was the only new culinary establishment that year to acquire five stars.

Shortly after securing the Mobil rating, Tunks decided it was time to go it alone, taking a team of talented chefs with him from New Orleans. With the opening of DC Coast in June of 1998, Tunks created the perfect stage for his distinctive cuisine. Showcasing ingredients indigenous to the tri-coastal areas, Tunks developed a modern American cuisine all his own. A success from the outset, DC Coast has garnered outstanding reviews from Gourmet (1 of the top 5 restaurants in Washington), Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Wine Spectator, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In August 2000, Tunks and his partners launched TenPenh, where they have been delighting diners with Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine. Bon Appétit (1 of the top tables in Washington), Wine Spectator, The Washington Post, Washingtonian magazine, Departures, and Travel + Leisure have praised TenPenh since it arrived on the DC restaurant scene. September 2003 saw the rise of yet another side of Tunks' culinary passions, Latin American and the Caribbean fare, with the opening of Ceiba restaurant. Two years later amid great anticipation, in September 2005, Tunks launched Acadiana, featuring modern interpretations of Louisiana fish house classics, a cuisine dear to his heart since his years in New Orleans.

Tunks was named Chef of the Year 2003-2004 by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. He is listed in The International Who's Who of Chefs. Washingtonian magazine named Tunks and his partners Restaurateurs of the Year in 2005.