Dispatch from Paris: It’s not just the world’s fashionistas who have descended right now on the French capital for Fashion Week; California has arrived in Paris as David Kinch, executive chef and owner of Manresa, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Los Gatos, kicks off his “Manresa Residency” in France. To fete Manresa’s 15th birthday, Kinch will be cooking alongside three famous French chefs at Relais & Châteaux properties until October 6.
Luxury Travel Advisor attended the festivities yesterday evening at the culinary institution Le Taillevent. There was a pink Cadillac parked in front of the grande maison on rue Lamennais in the 8th arrondissement. Inside, a tiki bar—complete with surfboards as décor—was offering up Santa Cruz Slings, a cocktail made with tequila, Campari, passion syrup, pineapple and lime. Inside, chef Kinch’s team wowed the crowd with dishes like a risotto made from spelt and topped with cep mushrooms; abalone gumbo; and a crab remoulade with caviar.
This road show—the first ever for Kinch—will soon head south. The chef and his team will also take over the kitchens at Oustau de Baumanière, a wonderful hideaway in Provence, awarded two Michelin stars, and Le Petit Nice, a three-star landmark in Marseille, celebrating its 100th birthday this year. (For our first-hand review of the Baumanière hotel and restaurant, click here.) All three French properties are part of the Relais & Châteaux network, as is Manresa.
David Kinch has expressed a deep attachment for France, where he worked for part of his early apprenticeship, and the French art de vivre.
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