Chef Zach Midgett on why he left the legendary French Laundry to cook in Lincoln, Nebraska

Chef Zach Midgett on why he left the legendary French Laundry to cook in Lincoln, Nebraska

June 23, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Chef Zach Midgett discusses his journey from The French Laundry to becoming Executive Chef at Casa Bovina in Lincoln, Nebraska.

When he was in his teens, Zach Midgett found a refuge from problems at home by working in a suburban Philadelphia restaurant. He started as a dishwasher, fell in love with kitchen life, soon was promoted to cook on the line, and rose to the top of the culinary world when he was hired at legendary chef Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant in northern California, The French Laundry, where he worked his way up to sous chef. Then, he made a move many in the food world might find inexplicable—he relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska where, as Executive Chef at Casa Bovina restaurant, he is bringing exquisite, elevated dining to a place where he says one of the challenges is convincing local diners to try something new. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Zach Midgett

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The French Laundry, Casa Bovina

Places: Lincoln, Nebraska, Philadelphia

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