#French laundry michelin stars series#

Kallos Turin provided additional contributions for the dining room’s interior work, injecting some contemporary, minimalist vibes into the space. But Schmitt was adamant that she did not want to because it would “throw her lifestyle out of whack.”īut when a charming young man named Thomas Keller came along and said “it was his dream” to turn the French Laundry into a world-class restaurant, the Schmitts gave him a chance and sold him the place in 1994.Focusing on renovating Chef Thomas Keller’s Yountville, CA restaurant The French Laundry, Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta has rejuvenated the establishment’s landscape, kitchen and annex. Eventually, someone came along and tried to convince Schmitt to expand the French Laundry in San Francisco and even New York. It even caught the attention of Julia Child, who visited “two or three times,” according to Schmitt. If one was visiting the Napa Valley, a stop at the French Laundry was a must. More importantly, Yountville became a destination restaurant. Sally was in the kitchen, Don ran the front of house and their kids, now old enough to work, were the wait staff. The first iteration of the French Laundry was a family affair. The time was right, though, in 1978 and the Schmitt family quickly turned it into a fully working restaurant soon after. But the owners were not ready to sell the empty structure just yet. Schmitt originally had her eye on the building when she was opening the Vintage Cafe because of its history as a French laundry business. One day, a waitress and friend of hers whispered in her ear that a building on the corner of Washington and Creek streets was up for sale.

She wanted to be back in the kitchen where she could “stir and taste the soup.” But Schmitt realized she was unhappy doing the operations part of the business. Eric Risberg/Associated PressĪfter just a year, the Schmitt family was successful enough to open a second restaurant called the Chutney Kitchen. The untold history of The French Laundry is unearthed in a New York Times documentary. “ had very good palates and they were hungry,” she said. The region was on the precipice of change, though, and the timing was just right for the Schmitts - the Vintage Cafe thrived as young people moved into the area for the wine business. But Napa was not yet the wine-focused, wealthy destination it is today. There, Schmitt opened her first business, the Vintage Cafe. She attended the nearby UC Davis and studied home economics, which she described as learning “the science of cooking.” Not long after college, she married her husband Don.Īfter giving birth to five children, her new family moved from the Central Valley to the Napa Valley in northern California in the late 1960s. Her mother taught Schmitt to be a very independent woman and encouraged her to go to college. As Schmitt said in the video, “It was California cuisine without ever hearing the term.”

They had dinner parties that revolved around braised meats, simple salads and fresh fruit. Schmitt was born in 1932 and grew up outside of Sacramento on a farm in a very food-centric family. However, in the wake of global acclaim for the restaurant after she sold it to Keller, she has been largely forgotten by, well … everyone. Schmitt is one of the forebearers of California cuisine, just like Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck and yes, Thomas Keller, who eventually became the chef and owner at the French Laundry. The restaurant used to be run by a woman named Sally Schmitt.

#French laundry michelin stars series#

In a recent New York Times Op-Doc YouTube video, a recurring series that highlights short documentaries by independent filmmakers, director Ben Proudfoot reveals the history of the institution that would become known as “the best restaurant in the world.” The previously untold story of the French Laundry, now a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Yountville, California, has been revealed. Signage for the French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, Napa Valley, California, operated by chef Thomas Keller and known for being one of the few restaurants in the United States to earn three Michelin stars, November 26, 2016.