The latest must have luxury resort real estate amenity? A celebrity chef. In 2004, Chicago chef Charlie Trotter opened up his “C” restaurant at the Palmilla One & Only, a resort community in Los Cabos, Mex. featuring over 1,000 residences. Now more big name chefs with established, often Michelin-starred and Zagat-approved, restaurants are increasingly being sought out by developers in hopes of attracting house-hunting gourmands.

The Chef: Gary Danko
Culinary Accolades: Gary Danko’s eponymous New American restaurant is the top Zagat rated restaurant in San Francisco.
Next Course: Fairmont Heritage Place in San Francisco. Slated for completion in June 2008, the Fairmont Heritage Place is a private residence club with 53 two- and three-bedroom residences, located in the city’s historic Ghirardelli Square. A one-tenth deeded interest starts at $250,000. Danko plans on opening a brasserie-style restaurant with a large outdoor seating area.

The Chef: Michael Mina
Culinary Accolades: Mina was Bon Appétit’s Chef of the Year in 2005. He owns three restaurants in Las Vegas, and the widely acclaimed Michael Mina in San Francisco.
Next Course: La Punta Papagayo, Costa Rica. Mina will create the fine dining restaurant for this mixed-use luxury resort on 60 acres of waterfront property overlooking the Gulf of Papagayo. The restaurant’s menu will be heavily influenced by local seafood. Managed by Regent Hotels & Resorts and opening in 2010, the development will feature a hotel, spa, luxury villas, estate homes and a retail village. Prices on a two-bedroom villa range upward from $1.6 million, with three-bedroom villas starting at $2.3 million. Owners can also opt to have Mina consult on their kitchen design.

The chef: David Bouley
Culinary Accolades: David Bouley’s New York restaurant Bouley earned four stars in the New York Times. His other restaurants, Bouley Bakery and Danube, both in New York, have also been lauded by the New York Times and Zagat.
Next Course: Temenos, Anguilla. This St. Regis managed development’s beachfront and hillside residences, slated for completion in 2008, evoke the serene island elegance of Santorini, complete with crisp white buildings, sun-soaked courtyards and sparkling private pools. Residents can take advantage of the Greg Norman-designed golf course and a world-class tennis facility. Residences, villas and estates range from $1.4 million to $12.5 million. Bouley will run one of the two restaurants on-site.

The chef: Gray Kunz
Culinary Accolades: Kunz’s wildly successful, award-winning New York restaurants include the now-defunct Lespinasse, awarded four stars by the New York Times, and Café Gray, which received a coveted Michelin star.
Next Course: Molasses Reef Island Villas, West Caicos. Slated for completion in late 2008, this eco-friendly resort community on the previously uninhabited island of West Caicos features 75 oceanfront Ritz-Carlton-branded Island Villas. Kunz will create the resort’s three dining options, including an oceanfront restaurant complete with outdoor terraces and an open kitchen. The menu will be influenced by both local island ingredients and Asian flavors. Villas, ranging from 2,700 to 6,000 square-feet, start at $3.05 million.