A Starry, Starry Night in Napa

Michelin-star Chef Thomas Keller celebrates the 30th anniversary of his famed French Laundry

Words by CATHERINE BIGELOW
Photography by DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY

Over the past 30 years, the charming Wine Country village of Yountville has transformed into something of a company town — manned by heralded Chef Thomas Keller, the recipient of a whopping seven Michelin stars, including three luminous spheroids at his French Laundry.

Housed in a historic stone-clad, former steam laundry turned dining destination, this beloved boîte is the capstone of Chef Keller’s extensive restaurant empire, including Per Se in New York and The Surf Club Restaurant in Miami. But the tiny town of Yountville is home to five additional Keller enterprises, as well as the Laundry’s three-acre culinary garden. In June, Chef Keller unveiled a reimagining of his former caviar and champagne venue as the Asian-inspired RO Restaurant and Lounge.

But Saturday, July 6, was reserved solely for this “Pearl” anniversary, which drew 800 guests — including loyal fans, farmers, foragers, and more chefs than you can shake a whisk at — who turned out for an elegant block party celebrating Chef Keller and his legendary spot while striking poses next to the restaurant’s iconic French blue door.

Chef Keller himself, dressed in his chef whites, was the subject of thousands of photographic frames, graciously posing during the majority of his fête as he greeted guests who patiently awaited their moment in a long reception line.

Among the starry guest list: Academy Award–winning director and Napa vintner Francis Ford Coppola; Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi; storied vintner Bill Harlan and his wife, Deborah; Sex and the City’s Mario Cantone; RH CEO Gary Friedman and his wife, Bella; Alexis Traina with her parents, Elizabeth and Clarke Swanson, and cousin, Nena Woolworth; Quince chef Michael Tusk; Hestan Vineyards proprietors Helen and Stanley Cheng; Napa Valley vintner Carlo Mondavi; Hudson Ranch farmer-vintners Cristina and Lee Hudson; and Ojai OGs Anne Crawford and Dudley DeZonia.

The sumptuous outdoor soirée — designed by Todd Events and co-hosted by chief creative officer Laura Cunningham, GM Michael Minnillo, and chef de cuisine David Breeden — encompassed a carpeted stretch of street extending from the restaurant’s perimeter across to the glorious garden, which was abloom with fragrant summer roses and verdant herbs.

In between twirls on the dance floor, defined by joyful Sound House band tunes, guests savored some of Chef Keller’s greatest gourmet hits from bounteous stations teeming with such specialties as Regiis Ova caviar cornets, Ad Hoc fried chicken, Waygu hot dogs, and Australian black truffles — all accompanied by stellar sips of Casa Dragones tequila, Cunningham’s Modicum vino, or 2013 vintage Dom Pérignon.

Yet amid the past three decades of sedulous work in creating his renowned temples of gastronomy, Chef Keller is not a chef who selfishly burnishes his collection of stars. His legacy is shared with a legion of chefs, sommeliers, servers, and suppliers, all of whom he has meticulously trained and treated with respect as they passed through his gleaming kitchens.

Gwen and Peter Jacobsen have been farming an orchard in Yountville for the past 40 years. When he heard Chef Keller had taken over the French Laundry, the Jacobsen Orchard owner walked in the kitchen’s back door to introduce himself.

“I figured only the pastry chef would want fruit. But a man slid out from underneath a counter holding a cleaning towel and said, ‘I’m Thomas Keller.’ And I said to myself, ‘This is the kind of person and place I want to work with’,” recalled Jacobsen. “Thomas soon visited the orchard and asked if I ever tasted or smelled a peach leaf. He folded and crushed it with his fingers, then handed it to me. It smelled like almond and marzipan. My mind was blown! While I was growing fruits and vegetables for Thomas and the French Laundry, he, too, was growing farmers in the Napa Valley and across the country.”

Chef Keller’s legacy is also generational: 18-year-old Enzo Fanucci recently completed a five-month stage at the French Laundry and has been a patron since the age of two. His father, Nicolas Fanucci, owner of Nicolas Eatery in Malibu, served as French Laundry GM from 2005 to 2012.

“Thirty years is a lifetime in this industry, especially for a restaurant to maintain such high standards. All the Chef Keller restaurants teach resilience, structure, and a strong work ethic in the kitchen,” Fanucci said. “In changing the menu every single day and getting produce from his garden, Thomas’ vision is impossible to duplicate.”

Among numerous New Yorkers who flew in to sing Chef Keller’s praises was legendary restaurateur-chef Daniel Boulud. The ebullient Frenchman met Chef Keller in 1984 when they worked at The Polo in Manhattan.

“Thomas continues to produce some of the finest chefs in this country. He’s a mentor, he’s a leader, he’s a businessman, he’s a visionary,” Boulud said. “And he’s a caretaker in a sense that he takes care of his customers, his staff, his suppliers, his community. Thomas is always fully committed to excellence and gives everyone the opportunity to improve their skills. There is no other chef in America that has two three-star Michelin restaurants.”

Chef Keller finally raised a glass of champagne with his guests and modestly referred to himself as “a steward” of this restaurant first established in 1978 by Don and Sally Schmitt.

“I’m very grateful to all of you for being part of this extraordinary restaurant and thankful to the extraordinary people who’ve made this restaurant what it is. This represents 30 years of our lives and a continuing evolution,” Chef Keller said, offering a special tribute to Laura Cunningham. “We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and you are part of this restaurant’s history. Tonight is about ‘our’ French Laundry.”

Yes, chef!