Chef salad is thought to be invented by chef Victor Seydoux at the Hotel Buffalo in Buffalo , New York . The person most often connected with the history of this salad is Louis Diat , chef of the Ritz Carleton in New York City during the 1940s . While food historians acknowledge his recipe they do not appear to be convinced he originated the dish , which is more popularly attributed to either chef Victor Seydoux at the Hotel Buffalo , a Statler Hotel in Buffalo , New York or chef Jacques Roser at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City .