Born in Nice, France, Charles Dale has worked with several of the best chefs in the United States and beyond, including Daniel Boulud, Barry Wine, Jean-Paul Lacombe and Georges Mazraff. In 1988, he left a position as sous-chef under Boulud at Le Cirque in New York to eventually open his own restaurant, Renaissance, in Aspen, Colorado. Renaissance has been widely acknowledged to be Aspen's most luxurious and exacting restaurant, garnering every major culinary and wine award in America, including Food and Wine Magazine's Best New Chef for Charles in 1995; the James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef in 1998 and 1999; Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence; DiRoNa, Mobil Four Star, and a host of national and international press. Charles and business partner Rob Ittner opened Rustique Bistro, featuring Grandmother Cuisine, in 2000, winning Esquire Magazine's prestigious Best New Restaurant in America award. They later opened Range, which celebrates New Western cooking, characterized by fresh organic produce, seafood and game, all procured from West of the Rockies. Charles is also the author of the Chefs' Guide to America's Best Restaurants, has a line of all-natural marinades for consumer use under the St. Dalfour label, and has contributed recipes to a dozen cookbooks nationwide. In early 2005, Charles formed Dale’s Kitchen, dedicated to simplifying the lives of chefs around the world with professional quality products, manufactured to exacting standards without recourse to additives, preservatives, or artificial ingredients of any kind. Charles now lives in Savannah, Georgia, with his wife, their two children, and their yellow lab Oscar.