It was 1975, and San Diego did not have a lot to offer those in search of learning about and enjoying high quality, innovative food. That year, Piret and George Munger first opened The Perfect Pan — a cooking school which also offered a prix fixe lunch menu of classic French countryside dishes served weekdays to sixteen guests. Since that beginning, The Perfect Pan School of Cooking has held over 4,000 classes at three locations with some 50,000 students enrolled — taught by an array of world-class chefs.
Shortly thereafter in 1979, the first Piret’s Restaurant, occupying only 1,400 sq. ft. of space and serving 30 guests, was opened in Mission Hills. Inspired by customer demand, expressing a growing appreciation for innovative food, an additional four restaurants were later opened. Piret’s Restaurants and The Perfect Pan were to be later acquired by VICORP Restaurants, Inc., of Denver, Colorado.
In 1980, Piret’s Catering began offering customized quality food services delivered to customers in their homes, places of work, and other personalized venues. And in 1985, Piret’s - The George and Piret Munger Cookbook was published to chronicle the recipes from the numerous teachers, guest chefs, author/cooks, and Piret's own working chefs. These recipes come from the cooking schools, the Lunch at the Perfect Pan series, special caterings, daily menus, friends, family, and the wonderfully infamous George Munger Cook-Offs, where a moveable feast of dishes were prepared by about a hundred “foodie” guests, and presented with great flair for judging,
Today, with Piret’s Catering, the tradition continues. Drawing on the unique legacy of the past, coupled with the technology of today, to provide our clients the very best in customized high-quality and innovative food, artfully presented, and at reasonable prices.
