I grew up in a small village outside Lyon, where my grandmother taught me that the best meals come from respecting your ingredients. After training at Le Cordon Bleu and spending years in Parisian kitchens, I moved to San Francisco and fell in love with California's farmers markets and wine country. Now I cook the food I wish my grandmother could taste—French technique with California abundance, where a perfect roast chicken might come with Meyer lemon and wild fennel instead of tarragon.
Recipes
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Warm Poached Chicken Liver Bistro Salad with Meyer Lemon & Grilled Levain
Ditch the idea of harsh, chalky seared livers; gently poaching organic chicken livers in aromatic wine and herbs keeps them extraordinarily velvety and pink at the center. Served warm over crisp, bitter chicories, sweet French breakfast radishes, and garlic-rubbed levain, this is California bistro lunch in its purest, most sun-drenched form.
Crispy Pan-Roasted Branzino with Melted Leeks, Fennel & Meyer Lemon Beurre Noisette
Pan-roasting branzino is my absolute favorite weeknight bistro flex—scoring the skin gives you that shatteringly crisp texture while the flesh stays buttery and tender. We cradle the fish over a bed of slow-melted fennel and leeks, then finish with a sunlit Meyer lemon and caper brown butter sauce that feels straight out of an effortless Saint-Germain café.
Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Late-Harvest Plums, Shallots & Pinot Noir Pan Jus
Crispy-skinned duck breast meets the sultry sweetness of late-season California plums bathed in a glossy, butter-mounted Pinot Noir reduction. It is everything I adore about a Paris autumn bistro supper, made bright and vibrant with West Coast fruit.
Pan-Roasted Venison Loin with Chanterelles, Pomegranate & Thyme Brown Butter
A love letter to French game season reimagined through a breezy Northern California lens. Tender venison loin is pan-roasted with fragrant aromatics and basted in nutty butter, then paired with golden wild chanterelles and a ruby pomegranate pan jus that brings brilliant, sunny acidity.
Pan-Roasted Bistro Lamb Chops with Castelvetrano Olives, Melted Shallots & Mint-Meyer Lemon Pistou
Thick-cut lamb rib chops are seared crisp in cast iron, basted generously with thyme-scented cultured butter, and finished in a vibrant pan sauce of sweet melted shallots and briny Castelvetrano olives. A zippy, sun-soaked mint and Meyer lemon pistou cuts through the rich lamb, bringing effortless Parisian bistro elegance straight to a golden California evening. Serve straight from the skillet alongside a chilled, crunchy Gamay.
Bistro Dayboat Scallop Carpaccio with Pomegranate Jewels & Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette
An effortless midday bistro plate marrying sweet, pristine raw dayboat scallops with the bright crunch of ruby pomegranate arils. Dressed in a lively shallot-champagne vinaigrette and dusted with fragrant pink peppercorns, it is pure California sunshine on French porcelain.
Stories
View allWarm Poached Chicken Liver Bistro Salad
Velvety poached chicken livers over crisp chicories and grilled levain—California bistro sunshine on a plate.
October 16, 2026
Crispy Branzino with Melted Leeks and Meyer Lemon Brown Butter
My favorite weeknight bistro flex pairs shatteringly crisp fish with slow-melted fennel, leeks, and sunlit Meyer lemon brown butter.
October 14, 2026
Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Late-Harvest Plums, Shallots & Pinot Noir Pan Jus
Crispy-skinned duck breast meets the sultry sweetness of late-season California plums bathed in a glossy, butter-mounted Pinot Noir reduction.
October 12, 2026
Pan-Roasted Venison Loin with Chanterelles, Pomegranate & Thyme Brown Butter
A love letter to French game season reimagined through a breezy Northern California lens with wild chanterelles and ruby pomegranate.
October 10, 2026