Thomas Keller is putting French Laundry's kitchen up for sale

Getting a reservation at French Laundry may be notoriously difficult, but for the right price, you can now sit at the chef’s table. Literally. As Thomas Keller prepares to move his renowned restaurant to a new permanent location this summer, he’s putting the old cooking space (actually the fourth in the restaurant’s history) up for sale. So if you’re looking to remodel your kitchen, or just buy a brand new one, you’re in luck. The 1,120 square foot space has churned out some of the best meals in the United States, and bidding season is open.

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The state-of-the-art kitchen is comprised of four custom-made metal shipping containers, SFGate reports, each of which was created by Envelope A+D and kitchen designer Tim Harrison. And while the Keller team had originally planned to move this fancy makeshift kitchen to the back of French Laundry Garden to serve as a cooking space for private events, they’ve since abandoned this idea. Which means, cooking connoisseurs, that you’re in luck. When you buy the French Laundry kitchen, you’ll also get all the equipment the Michelin-starred restaurant used (though we should probably warn you that simply using the same pots and pans won’t necessarily result in the same dishes).

The kitchen also comes with the aesthetic trappings that make a famous kitchen a famous kitchen — for example, Keller is leaving the five brass stars above the pass as well as the plaque that reads, “Sense of Urgency.”

In a Facebook post announcing the kitchen’s sale, Keller wrote, “The time has come for us to find a new home for The French Laundry’s temporary kitchen … This kitchen holds a lot of sentimental value, not just for me, but for the restaurant and our entire team, who have prepared food in it, passed between it and the dining room countless times, and washed dishes here, keeping it orderly and clean.”

Better still, if you do become the new owner of the kitchen, one that “has made so many memories and fed so many,” you’ll also be helping to feed those in need — Keller notes that “a portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit Edible Schoolyard NYC.”

There’s been no price advertised quite yet, but interested buyers are encouraged to contact tempkitchen@frenchlaundry.com. “To the new owner,” Keller concludes, “This kitchen is a unique piece of culinary history. It touched the lives of many guests and played a significant role in the lives of the chefs who have spent time working here before moving on to their own projects. My hope is that it finds a home where it continues to impact the lives of those who walk through its door.”