From selling his Xbox as a teen to working 18-hour shifts, Harrison Cheney has sacrificed a lot to get where he is today. That dedication has been worth it—his dreams have come to life at Sons & Daughters in San Francisco, thousands of miles away from his hometown in England. Last year, Cheney was awarded the MICHELIN Guide California 2023 Young Chef Award, and now only one year later, his restaurant has been recognized with Two MICHELIN Stars.
We caught up with him the day after the ceremony to talk all things Star-related.
How did you first learn about The MICHELIN Guide?
I was a kid, looking through The MICHELIN Guide, highlighting restaurants I wanted to work at. When I was 16, we had to, at my [school], go and stage in a restaurant. Everyone staged in local restaurants and pubs. I sold my Xbox, bought a train ticket, and worked in a Two MICHELIN Star restaurant for the first time, for seven days. To me, it was just mind-blowing, the amount of attention to detail and the focus. I just felt like I belonged in it.
What was your journey to Sons & Daughters?
It was a tough one. I really worked my way up. I worked at a few One Stars, a Two Star, and after that, a Three Star. I was very lucky to work at The Square, The Ledbury, Quince, and Gastrologik twice.
I'm not going to say it was easy. It wasn't. Especially my time in London was pretty relentless, working 18-, 19-hour days. Just constantly trying to educate myself under people that I felt inspired by and looked up to. I always wanted to stick with it, and to achieve a goal like this has made everything worth it.
How did it feel last year when you received the Young Chef Award, and Sons & Daughters retained its MICHELIN Star under your leadership?
To be from England, and to come out to California and receive recognition like that, it's pretty crazy. There's so many extremely talented chefs in California. I felt very blessed. It's never been a goal of mine to be a celebrity chef, but more of a respected chef within the industry. The industry is in a position nowadays that we don't have so many young, talented chefs coming through. For me to be in a position to inspire younger people and to be on a platform like The MICHELIN Guide feels like an incredible honor.
Over the past year, what did you focus on at the restaurant?
Refinement and constantly building relationships. I really wanted to move everything in the direction that we were naturally moving into. Across the board, from start to finish, the menu has complete cohesion now. It's a story. It's an experience. There's nothing from the old Sons & Daughters, apart from the bones of the building. We celebrate Northern California produce, farmers, suppliers, purveyors, and also a lot of incredibly talented ceramicists, fishermen, and wood makers.
Do you have any fun memories or stories from the past year?
Cooking with Jacob [Holmström] from Gastrologik was a real full circle moment for me. I worked in that kitchen for the first time when I was 22, 23 years old. I was a young chef de partie, cooking the proteins. To have Jacob come and not only sit in the restaurant to see how I've developed as a chef, but to cook alongside him...it was a full circle moment for me.
At this year’s MICHELIN Guide Ceremony, how did it feel when Sons & Daughters earned its second MICHELIN Star?
I didn’t believe it at first. Going into it, I was very hopeful. I really felt like we'd put the work in, and we'd been constantly growing. When the presenter said, “Maybe we should bring someone else on stage, let's call them siblings,” a lot of hope went into me. And then they started putting the “Dau” for Daughters. I kind of just froze and held my fiancé, and then when Sons & Daughters came up on screen, I couldn't believe it. It hasn’t really sunk in. Yesterday, it was just another day coming back from the hotel and coming straight to the restaurant and picking herbs. But today, it feels a lot more real.
How did your team celebrate the achievement?
We went for a little walk outside, and we just hung out by one of the fire pits. We talked about how we got here, and how excited we are. It was a little bit surreal. I was very lucky that everyone from the kitchen was there. The guys all drank champagne. I drank some non-alcoholic champagne. I don't drink, so it was a very chill celebration.
What does the second MICHELIN Star mean to you?
Oh, it means a lot. A real testament to the hard work. It's not a secret there's a lot of sacrifices in the industry, especially working at this kind of level throughout my career. I'm proud I was the chef that was working the 18, 19 hour days [back then] and sitting on a night bus, sleeping two to three hours, and going back and doing it again. I missed out on a lot of things. Everyone on the team has, and we do every Friday, Saturday night.
For us to be awarded, it makes me very proud for everyone, very grateful for the people that I have around me. We have a family here. We're a very strong team and a very, very close team, and there's not anyone else I'd rather share it with than this group of people. To come back yesterday and put up our Two Star plaque, and have our first team briefing and address the team as a Two Star team…it was epic.
What’s next for Sons & Daughters?
To get better, refine what we do, gain more exposure, build more relationships, and continue to build on the team that we have. We talk about sustainability all the time, but one of the most important parts of sustainability is within the industry and within my team. I have a great team, and I really want to work on building them and investing in them so we can continuously take it to the next level. I want to have one of the best restaurants in the world, and that's possible with everyone that we have around this.
Hero image: Marc Patrick / BFA.com | MICHELIN Guide California Ceremony 2024
Thumb image: Marc Patrick / BFA.com | MICHELIN Guide California Ceremony 2024
