Philippe Jeanty

French cuisine with the comfort of a bistro

Philippe Jeanty, proprietor and executive chef of Bistro Jeanty in Yountville and Jeanty at Jacks in San Francisco, decided he wanted to be a chef when he was only 14 years old. During his middle school years he began substituting academic course work with an apprenticeship at Moët & Chandon in France that would last three years. Jeanty traded nights out with friends for nights in the kitchen and that passion for food and eating took him throughout France. In 1977, when he was 21, Jeanty was offered the executive chef position at Moët & Chandon’s Domaine Chandon in California’s Napa Valley. After some hesitation about the distance from home, and his English skills, Jeanty took the leap into what was, at the time, Napa Valley’s fledgling culinary scene.

What made you want to open your own restaurant?
Well, Domaine Chandon was always a fantastic company to work for; I’d been there for 20 years. But like everything else in the world, the company got sold to a big group and became very corporate. The food we were doing was more three-star haute cuisine and my heart was always into the small, homey kind of environment and food. I thought, since things were not as fun as they used to be, that maybe it’s time for me to do my own thing. When this building became available I thought it would make the perfect bistro because it is small and not fancy. I really had no idea how successful it was going to be, but the restaurant really took off and became much more than I could have possibly imagined.

What kind of restaurants do you enjoy when you go out to eat?
One of my favorite foods is sushi. I love sushi. Usually we try to go out to eat things other than French food. So maybe sometimes it’s Mexican or Thai food.

Does either of your children want to become a chef?
Yes, one of them. She’s 10 and she has her own recipe book and knives. She loves food, she’s just like me; she’s like mini-me. I think it’s great, but I’m a little bit reserved because I know how much work it is, especially when you’re young. I know how many sacrifices you have to make when you’re in this business. I don’t want her to miss out on some of the things I’ve missed out on. If she wants to do it, fine, if she doesn’t, that’s fine too.

What is your guilty pleasure?
I love cars. One of my favorite things to do is to go to the car auction in Carmel every year. It’s amazing, it lasts for three or four days. They have the auction and cars on display, like old Ferraris.

Who would you want to have dinner with?
My mother. She passed away when I was two years old so I never got to meet her.

How does it feel to receive a Michelin star for the second year?
It’s awesome. It kinda feels like I’m connected to the old country in some way.

What legacy do you want to leave?
I think first and foremost that I tried to be as good a father as possible, which is a very difficult job. As far as food, I don’t want to be remembered as a great chef necessarily but that my food really connected with people and helped them build memories.

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