Born and raised in Vancouver, Kelsey Coulson brings a lot of talent, passion, and artistry to her position as Chef de Cuisine at Perbacco. Though the beginnings of her career are far from what might be thought of as traditional for a Chef, she shares Executive Chef Staffan Terje’s passion for bringing sustainable and well-sourced ingredients to guests at Perbacco.

Coulson spent the first part of her life as a serious dancer and after high school, moved nearly 3,000 miles to pursue her dream of being a professional ballerina. After dancing an astounding nine seasons with the Atlanta Ballet, and pushing through what would become a career-ending injury, Coulson took her final bow and made her way to the Bay Area to become a different kind of artist.

She immediately fell in love with San Francisco and was determined to work in a kitchen. Knowing she had limited experience, Coulson got creative and ended up getting her foot in the door working as a hostess at Left Bank in Larkspur. After gently pestering the chef for a chance to try her hand in the kitchen, he finally indulged her with one pantry shift per week. One shift quickly grew to three and then to five. Determined to make the most of the opportunity, she showed up early and stayed late to absorb all that she could. She was rewarded with several promotions, all the way to lead line cook and then a sous chef at one of the other restaurants in the group. Eventually she was promoted to Chef de Cuisine where she ran the kitchen for over a year.

A lifelong learner, Coulson knew she wanted to continue expanding her culinary knowledge and applied for a Sous Chef position at Perbacco, a restaurant she had long admired and frequented during her time in the Bay Area. She joined the team in the summer of 2015 and under Terje’s direction, she has been able to learn the intricacies of a new cuisine from a well-versed leader.

She is a wonderful addition to the Perbacco team and continues to work hard, learn, and delight guests on a daily basis.