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It
frustrates me to think that in the early 90's, I spent an entire year working
in Washington DC, and never once had the foresight to experience the famed
42-seat restaurant in the basement of the Watergate Hotel. In my mind, the Watergate was about Nixon,
Dean, Mitchell, Ehrlichman, Hunt and Liddy. At the time, the Watergate was a symbol of what went wrong in America,
and I failed to appreciate it as one of the classic restaurants of all
time. Of course, the truth is that I
couldn't afford to eat Jean-Louis' place although I did sit next to G. Gordon
Liddy at a Burger King, and watched him fill out a customer card at the end of
his meal. Only God and Burger King know what he wrote on that card. The entire Watergate thing was to become an
amazing piece of history - both in a political and culinary perspective.
I
ran into Jean-Louis at a Border's Bookstore in downtown Washington. He was there for a book signing, and again,
I didn't have the foresight to even say hello. At that moment I wasn't thinking that right in front of me was one of
the most talented and respected chefs in the world. It only took a few hours in this business to learn and appreciate
the legend of the great Jean-Louis Palladin.
The
Watergate proved to be an incredible 17-year run. Eventually, he opened Napa
at the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and undoubtedly this
decision persuaded many prominent chefs to follow his lead. Say what you will about celebrity chefs and
Las Vegas, at least Jean-Louis actually worked the kitchens at Napa, and
was one of the few chefs who maintained real presence in this community - and
he still does.
Then
there was Palladin in New York, which of course, failed rather
quickly. This was a restaurant designed
to present the Jean-Louis concept, but was missing one very important
ingredient - Jean-Louis himself. He
lent the name, but little else. This
simply proved that New York and Las Vegas have very little in common, and a
Jean-Louis restaurant without Jean-Louis was not about to happen in the Big
Apple. Let's call it one of life's
lessons.
Now,
after all these years, the great chef has more important things on his mind
than an unfavorable experience in Manhattan. He is battling a well-documented case of cancer, and everyone connected
with our industry wishes him well. And
when he gets better and finally opens that restaurant where Jean-Louis Palladin
is once again living in his kitchen, and behaving like the extraordinarily
talented and passionate chef that he is, I for one will make it a point to
experience the true genius of this great man. In terms of this issue, I finally took advantage of the opportunity to
speak with him. I consider it a great
honor.
"Some
of the people who come to my restaurant don't want to try anything too unusual,
but I also want to be ready for those who are willing to be adventurous. It's like putting a piece by an unknown
composer on the program between Bach and Beethoven. I'm very encouraged when people tell me that I have helped them
learn about food"
Jean Louis: Cooking With the Seasons
RR: At the age of twenty-eight, you are the chef at La Table des
Cordeliers in your hometown and the youngest chef awarded two stars by
France's prestigious Michelin Guide. You were already well known and respected in France, yet shortly thereafter, you decide to leave France and come to the United States.
JL: My hometown is a small village in France, and I had an offer to
come to America. It was a big
opportunity for me and much too exciting to pass up. I was young and looking for the next challenge, so this was going
to be it.
RR: So you arrive in America at the Watergate Hotel in Washington,
DC. What is going through your mind?
JL: The truth is that I wanted to get back on the plane and return
to France. I was overwhelmed by what I saw in America. This was 1979, so we are talking about many
years ago, but I saw the frozen lobster, the frozen chicken, and the snails in
the can. I knew this was not
acceptable. I started spending my early
mornings exploring the seafood and produce markets of Washington, and I started
having all kinds of fresh products delivered from all over to the
restaurant. In those early days, I made
a few enemies with local purveyors and other chefs, but gradually, most people
came around to my way of thinking. I
found the necessary ingredients, and ended up staying at the Watergate for 17
years.
RR: In terms of ingredients, it seemed that you had to go a lot
further than just the DC area.
JL: It was something that I had to do, and perhaps at that time, it
was a new approach to running a restaurant.
In terms of finding what I wanted, I saw my market as the world as
opposed to just the local area. I got
on the phone and products were flown in from everywhere. It was very time consuming, and of course,
very expensive, but that thinking helped us build a truly great restaurant.
RR: Many years have past since your arrival in America. How do you see the state of food in this
country today?
JL: Oh my God, there is no comparison. Everything is so much better, and that's the way it is supposed
to be. We have been educated, and our
chefs are so much better, and certainly our restaurants are better. Our customers know so much more, and they
expect so much more. 1979 seems like so
many years ago, but when you look at the picture of food in America, we're
really talking about a short period of time. The progress has been amazing, and I feel lucky to have been a part of
this.
RR: When you talk about the history of restaurants in America,
certainly Jean-Louis at the Watergate has to be right up there.
JL: I was a young chef from France struggling with the English
language, and all of a sudden, I was preparing dinner for the President of the
United States. It was so exciting, and
yes, they were wonderful years. I met
so many wonderful people, and I would say that we accomplished what we wanted
to do. We created a truly great
restaurant and kept it going for seventeen wonderful years.
RR: It is interesting to take note of how many talented people
worked with you during the Watergate years, and how well so many of them have
done.
JL: There were so many great people involved with me, and if I
start naming names, I will forget someone. It makes me so happy to see them
doing so well. They are still my
friends today, and it's something that makes me very proud and extremely happy.
RR: All good things eventually come to an end, and the Watergate run
ended in 1996.
JL: Over the years, there were several management changes at the
Watergate, and the final one didn't work for us. Regardless of that, it was time for me to move on. There were no regrets, but that restaurant
was such a big part of me that it was difficult to leave. I left many friends in Washington, and it's
always a thrill to come back and visit.
RR: Surprisingly, you went to Las Vegas. And I say surprisingly, because that didn't seem like the proper
fit for a Jean-Louis Palladin.
JL: I must admit that I would have never considered a place like
Las Vegas, but this city changed so dramatically. It became a wonderful place to live, and now people travel here
to play golf and dine in our great restaurants. It's so much more than just gambling. The people who live here and who visit here sincerely appreciate
fine dining, and you would be amazed at the quality of dining in Las Vegas -
it's world class. I must tell you that
so many of my buddies decided to open here, and that makes it even more
interesting and definitely more fun.
RR: Could you take the Napa concept to New York, or possibly
DC?
JL: No. It would take too
much money to do such a thing. Without
the backing of the casino, none of this could have happened.
RR: Your answer is interesting because we now see the emergence of
restaurant groups and the chains becoming increasingly dominant in
America. Is the restaurant business
becoming determined by big money, and is the age of the so-called "little
guy" coming to an end?
JL: Of course, I certainly hope that the little guy you speak of
will never end, and it doesn't have to.
However, I am very concerned about this, and I predicted that somewhere
along the line that many independent restaurant owners would suffer. It takes so much money to open a restaurant
today, and maybe, just maybe, you have a chance to make it. The big guys have the money and the power to
survive. I would hate to see the day come when it's prohibitively expensive to
run a small chef-owned restaurant. It's
a very frightening thought.
RR: You were so instrumental in altering the perception of food in
America, and in so doing, contributing so much to our food culture. With all our progress, we have become a
nation literally addicted to fast foods. What does this say about us?
JL: In my hometown of Condom in southwest France, people didn't
have refrigerators, so everything we ate was fresh, and of course, this had a
tremendous influence in how I approach the subject of food. I wish everyone would learn to appreciate
the value of eating freshly prepared foods with quality ingredients. This is never going to happen, because
people have to eat, and in many cases, it's an economic consideration. It is a shame that people are so busy that
the convenience of fast foods is so appealing.
I believe that every responsible chef is concerned with this, and I will
tell you that it is a major concern of mine. I'm not sure what any of us can do about it.
RR: I know your experience in New York with Palladin was not
a favorable one.
JL: I believe the critics had different expectations and never
understood what we were trying to do there.
Life is a learning experience, and I would certainly do it differently
next time around.
RR: And now, we come down to a very difficult period in your life...
JL: I have had wonderful support from so many friends, and I have
the best doctors in the world. I am
working on a new book and on a new restaurant concept, so I intend to stay
extremely busy.
RR: It goes without saying that all of us wish you well.
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