Top Chef’s Favorite Coffee Roasters

Chefs care deeply about how ingredients are sourced and handled. Many obsess about techniques, spend hours developing recipes, and craft countless versions of a dish before it appears on the menu.  

So, why are there restaurants with batch brewers and pod machines brewing coffee of questionable quality? 

“There is still a lot of mediocre coffee being served in great restaurants around the world,” says Tim Wendelboe, a World Barista Champion and founder of his namesake roastery. “Which does not make sense to me, as great coffee has become so common in coffee shops in most countries and is much easier to find today than it was just 10 years ago. I have hopes that this will change, and one day choosing a good coffee in a restaurant will be as natural as thinking of what wines you serve.”

Some standout chefs have begun to source their coffee beans from specific roasteries with as much care as how they align with ranchers, farmers, and fishermen.

In 2012, Wendelboe began to work with chef René Redzepi at Noma in Copenhagen. The partnership explores coffees that pair best with the acclaimed restaurant’s elaborate tasting menus, and the presentations that best complement the culinary experience. 

They have developed a “nomacano,” their version of an Americano-meets-pour-over, created to optimize an efficient cup with clarity and an ideal flavor profile to serve at the end of the meal.

Wendelboe encouraged Noma to create its own program to source and roast coffee. In 2025, Redzepi, with Carolyne Lane, launched Noma Kaffe. 

“I can’t wait to see how it will develop in the coming years,” he says. “And although I would not encourage every restaurant to start roasting coffee, I hope it will make even more restaurants take their coffee more seriously.” 

Noma Kaffe now has its own roastery and new café space in Copenhagen.

A go-to roaster for LA chefs

In Los Angeles, one coffee company has become a favorite for several of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants. 

Frank La started Be Bright in 2020. La worked with Café Dulce and helmed the coffee program at Copa Vida before he opened his own roastery and debuted at Smorgasburg Los Angeles. In 2024, he won the U.S. Barista Championship. 

Daniel Cutler’s restaurant, Ronan, is two doors west of Be Bright. Cutler uses their neighbor’s award-winning roasted coffee to make tiramisu, coffee ice cream, and Espresso Martinis. Be Bright coffee is also served at Jon Yao’s Kato, June Intachat’s Otus Thai Kitchen, David Chang’s Majordōmo, Debbie Lee’s Yi Cha, as well as all of chef Ori Menashe’s restaurants.

As Menashe searched for a roasting partner, he blind-tasted several coffees. Be Bright was the clear favorite for espresso and brewed coffee, and it’s now served at Bestia, Bavel, and at Saffy’s Coffee and Tea Shop alongside Genevieve Gergis’ Arabic savory breakfast sets and bourekas.

From seed to cup

At SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California, chef Kyle Connaughton and his team prepare each dish with meticulous attention to detail. Aside from their own farm, helmed by Katina Connaughton, they also source ingredients from local purveyors. 

Coffee plays a starring role for SingleThread. Kyle believes that coffee served at the end of the tasting menu should be carefully chosen, brewed, and presented. SingleThread purchases its green coffee beans from Covoya Specialty Coffee, which is committed to working with farmers from all over the world, with a focus on organic, regenerative, and woman-owned farms. The beans are Colombia Cauca Organic Asobombo. Land and Water Coffee, in nearby Santa Rosa, roasts the beans.

“The reason we focused on producing our own coffee is because of our commitment to understanding and supporting the whole process, from seed to cup,” says Kyle. “We worked with Covoya to source our green beans and selected a bean and organic farm that spoke to us. [We] wanted to work with a like-minded partner to roast our beans. Our guests enjoy their coffee, and they are curious to know where our coffee comes from.” 

Each of SingleThread’s five guest rooms are equipped with Ratio coffee machines. Coffee is served for guests of the inn during breakfast in their rooms or in the roof garden. 

Ratio coffee machines. Coffee is served for guests of the inn during breakfast in their rooms or in the roof garden. 

Keeping it local

At Bar Le Côte in the Santa Barbara wine country town of Los Olivos, California, owner/chef Brad Matthews doesn’t hide his love of coffee. The restaurant’s Slayer espresso machine sits in full view of the counter seats and dining room. 

Since the restaurant opened in 2021, Matthews has served coffee from Coastal Coffee Collective (CCC), a roaster from Ventura, California. The roaster has a loyal following and is also served at Bell’s Restaurant and Little King Coffee. 

In addition to CCC, Matthews serves coffee from Heart Roasters in Portland, Oregon. General manager Ryan Pelton was a barista at Heart and other coffee shops before he worked at several restaurants in Central California. Having a coffee professional at the forefront of Bar Le Côte keeps quality front and center. 

Flynn McGarry continues to make coffee a priority in his life and at his culinary spaces. Since he first opened Gem in New York City, McGarry has worked with Esben Piper, founder of La Cabra in Copenhagen, which also has three cafés and a roastery in New York City. At Gem Home, McGarry serves coffee from La Cabra and SEY, as well as Prolog at his newest venture, Cove.

“We chose all of these roasters because of their connections to the farms that the coffee is coming from,” says McGarry. “We like to look at it in the same light that we look at our food and our wine. I tend to go for lighter and brighter coffees which go alongside our food that is always acid-forward and light.”

Though some restaurants still serve substandard coffee, chefs who truly love coffee insist on quality brew that harmonizes with the food.