Thomas Keller, the world-renowned chef behind the three-Michelin-starred French Laundry, is leading a high-profile campaign against a planned affordable housing project in the wealthy Napa Valley enclave of Yountville.
The celebrity chef joined local business owners to challenge “Yountville Commons,” a 120-unit apartment complex intended for workers, arguing that the development is a poor fit for the community and that officials failed to consult the town’s major employers. The confrontation took place during a recent town council meeting, where the chef — dressed in his white culinary jacket — criticized officials for a lack of transparency.
“No one ever came to me and said, ‘What do you think about this project?’” Keller, 70, told the five council members, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. “I really would expect and encourage you to talk with the business community here, which seems to not have happened.”…