Personalities

Banks White

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Chef - FIVE

Chef Banks White hails from Austin, Texas, bringing his Southern roots and highlighting his family traditions through his food at FIVE restaurant & bar at The Hotel Shattuck Plaza. He expertly incorporates his own unique take and interesting flavor profiles to the restaurant’s reinvented new American classics.

Banks began his culinary journey in Montpelier, Vermont at the New England Culinary Institute where he learned classical French techniques and applications as well as a keen appreciation for the sustainability movement. The curriculum emphasized the importance of using local and organic products and underscored the value of working with local farmers. Following his time at the Culinary Institute, Chef Banks traveled back home to Texas, where he externed under Chef David Bull at the highly acclaimed Driskill Hotels Restaurant, a member of The Associated Luxury Hotels International. While at The Driskill, Banks was apart of the culinary team as Chef Bull achieved Food + Wine’s Magazine Top Ten Best New Chef award.

Chef Banks made the decision to relocate to California where he staged at Campton Place, Jardiniere, Chez Panisse, and Bouchon. Following his stage at the Michelin-star rated Auberge du Soleil, Chef Banks was the first kitchen hire for Chef Robert Curry at the restaurant. Working side-by-side with Chef Curry, Banks gathered inspiration through “French-Cal” cuisine, visited local farmers markets and gained insight to the relationships between chefs and farmers. Moving on from Auberge du Soleil, he joined the leadership team as Sous Chef at the Michelin-star rated étoile. His experience at étoile afforded Banks the opportunity to take the lead in dinner service and pair Domaine Chandon’s wines with his food. In addition, Banks oversaw the special events and banquets division and coordinated winemaker’s dinners.

Coming from Napa, Banks teamed up with Scott Howard and Roland Passot at LeftBank Restaurant Group in Larkspur. Serving as Sous Chef, Banks oversaw dinner service, private events and overall kitchen operations.

It was his relationship with Scott Howard that initially brought Banks to his current post as Executive Chef at FIVE. He has been involved with the restaurant from day one and participated in every step of the process from restaurant concept, menu design and recipe testing. The restaurant’s farm-to-table approach supports local, sustainable and organic farmers and ensures that diners experience rich, clean and flavorful cuisine – a nod to Chef Banks’ early schooling and culinary journey. For the 2nd year in a row, the restaurant was awarded the 2011 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award.