In coffee shops throughout San Francisco each morning, diners read about the city's top chefs in the same way people in other cities read about the achievements of professional athletes.
Executive chef George Morrone's assignment as head chef at Redwood Park in the Transamerica Pyramid is treated as if he were an athlete being traded to another team. "Morrone heads to the pyramid" a San Francisco Chronicle headline reads. Another Chronicle story tells of Melissa Perello's ascent, at 24 years old, to become head chef at Charles Nob Hill restaurant. Even on local Internet sites, you get the impression that dining is sport. Traci Des Jardins, owner-chef of Jardiniere is described on [http://www.sanfranciscochefs.com] (a Web site that reports about San Francisco's top chefs) as exuding "the grace and peace of someone at the top of her game."
