Personalities

Rob Dort

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Chef - Plum Restaurant

Robert Dort Executive Chef

A native of Fremont, CA, Robert Dort’s career path was largely inspired by his father, a former chef who worked front of house and imparted a passion for cooking to his son that carried through to adulthood. After earning his bachelor’s degree in English at Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo, he set his sights on the kitchen, working his way through culinary school as a line cook at Aqua in San Francisco. But perhaps Dort’s greatest education came from packing his bags and moving to Spain for a year on a whim. Adventurous and hungry to learn, Dort cooked his way through kitchens in Barcelona, Bilbao, and Andalucia—without a work permit. “I stayed as long as they would let me,” says Dort. “And then it was off to the next town.”
Upon his return to California, Dort settled into a more traditional role, honing his skills as sous chef at The Plumed Horse in Saratoga before moving on to be chef de partie at the French Laundry for a year and a half. In November 2011, he joined Plum, accepting his first position as executive chef. In this role, he oversees the entire kitchen—from ordering and purchasing at the farmer’s market multiple days a week, to menu creation which he does through collaborative brainstorming with his sous chefs. Dort describes the food at Plum as global cuisine but with local ingredients, twists on classics without veering too far, and fun food that will get you to think a bit. In June 2012, he was recognized as a rising star in the culinary world as a member of Eater’s Young Guns inaugural class. Dort thrives in the open kitchen layout at Plum, where his favorite part of the day is interacting with guests and creating a dialogue with them. “Sometimes when you’re in the kitchen for too long, you’re cooking for tickets rather than people,” says Dort. “After a 12 hour day, it reminds us why we do what we do—it’s nice to see them smile”. When not in the kitchen, Dort likes to relax by spending time with his fiancé and their faithful companion, a pitbull named Stella.