Ron Cohen began his career at age 16 in the kitchen of Jackie Onassis’ private club in Manhattan. He’s worked with local organic produce vendors since he came west in the 1980s as chef at Maddalena’s in Palo Alto and several other restaurants. He uses only free-range, hormone-free chicken at The Sherman, which he brines for 12 hours and dries for 24. His roasted whole organic chicken is one of the most popular dishes on the menu at his restaurant on the water, which served as both a WWII military liaison ship and a vacation liner for the casts of Broadway musicals.

Age: 48

City of residence: Campbell, CA

Family: Mother, father, wife, brother, sister

Current restaurant: The Sherman, a boat on the Bay in Burlingame, opened in 2007

Background and career highlights: Apprenticeship at private clubs in Manhattan; cooking for 30 years; opening The Sherman Restaurant – a unique experience

First meal ever cooked: Steak au po’ivre

A kitchen utensil you can’t live without: A 20-year-old carbon sabatier chef’s knife

Favorite summer fruit or veggie: Tomatoes

Celebrities you’ve cooked for: President Nixon, President Carter, Jackie O and a few corporate CEOs

First restaurant as chef: Maddalena’s in Palo Alto

Influences, inspirations: Chef Jacques Pepin, Klaus Pache and Chef Paul Bernal

Favorite health food: The olive and red wine

Healthy cooking tip: Drink red wine – at least one glass a day

Favorite meal ever & who cooked it: A birthday BBQ cooked on a Weber grill by Chef Clyde Griesbach

Your choice for last meal of your life: Egg noodles with Hungarian farmer’s cheese and chopped walnuts and a snifter of cognac