Holly first discovered the wonderful properties of pure sea salt while working in a three-star European restaurant, and began using it in place of ordinary table salt for all her original recipes. As the demand for a reliable source of sea salt grew, Sea Star™ was born, providing chefs, both professional and amateur, with this flavorful, high quality seasoning.

Holly Peterson's credentials include a degree in enology from U.C. Davis and Grand Diplome de Cuisine from the prestigious La Varenne cooking school. She spent years cooking professionally in France, including stints at Château Mouton-Rothschild, Krug, and Remy-Martin. She made news in Europe when she was chosen as the first female chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant, Tantris, in Munich. When she returned to the United States, Holly spent eight years at the Robert Mondavi Winery, developing food and wine programs and events.

Now, she teaches food and wine dynamics at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Much of her time outside of teaching is spent importing and marketing Sea Star™ Sea Salt. "It's amazing how one salt can differ from another farmed in the same region," says Holly, who compares the many variables that affect the flavor of the salt to those that affect the flavor of wine. "Good salt used to be everywhere," notes Holly, explaining that the water the salt is harvested from in Brittany is the cleanest in the world. "This is the last region."

His dedicated attention and time-honored methods ensure a pristine flavor. Sylvain's rigorous practices earned him the French equivalent of the F.D.A.'s organic certification, or the highest ranking for purity, called "Nature and Progress". He then ships the fresh salt directly to Sea Star™ where it is packaged.