Taylor Boudreaux's culinary career has been defined not only by his talent and passion for what he does, but also its trajectory. To wit, when he was fresh out of culinary school in 2001, he took a job at Mastro's Steakhouse in Arizona before being moved out to Los Angeles to open the Beverly Hills location of the renowned restaurant group at just 26 years of age. As executive chef of Napa Valley Grille, he brings to his current position a belief in quality ingredients to create rustic cuisine in which the elements are perfectly balanced. "In composing a dish, I cook so that each part could stand on its own, but together the dish can be amazing, " he says.