University of California at Berkeley Doris (Ris) Lacoste is an American chef, restaurateur, philanthropist, and community leader based in Washington D.C. She has been a chef in DC for over three decades and is the owner of RIS, an American bistro in Washington, D.C. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts,[1] Lacoste grew up the fifth of seven children in a French Canadian family.
She eventually transferred to the University of California at Berkeley with the hopes of becoming a United Nations translator, putting her French, Spanish and Latin studies to good use.
RIS serves lunch, dinner, private dining, and carryout and features a seasonal American menu along with a roster of wines, local and international beers, and craft cocktails.
Many of Lacoste's dishes have become city-known staples including her "Scallop Margarita," French onion soup, "My Mother's Meatloaf," New England mussels, Portuguese steak, and butterscotch pudding.
Lacoste has consulted a number of fine dining establishments and restaurateurs in her career, including Jeffrey Buben's Vidalia Eye, the Abi Najm family's Street Cafe, and Mazza Gallerie, owned by Judy Hammerschmidt and Tom Williams.