Nine o'clock and I was summoned to The Pass by a Chef de Partie and was asked to sign a copy of The French Laundry Cookbook for a guest. I was puzzled. Yes, I needed to add my signature to the collection of chefs and cooks for the guest who had purchased the book, dined on the Chef's Tasting Menu and wanted a permenant keepsake and memory of their experience. That was an interesting and profound moment. So, with a flourish I took John Hancock's historic premise and signed the whole page! Just kidding. A simple "R.N. Corey" (always signed that way because my father signed his name "N.H. Corey" and my grandfather was known as "C.P. Corey" - a way to pay homage to the two smartest men I've known).
Later in the evening several guests entered the kitchen and were given tours of the BOH. This happens all day long. Some guests are awestruck. Some are obviously restauranteurs and/or chefs so they look more deeply into the frenzied atmosphere of the kitchen. All are deferential. Pictures of the cooks and facility are taken by the guests. Their picture is taken by their host (usually the dining room managers and taken in front of The Pass). This all happens while service is ongoing! Traffic to and fro ceases as the guests are given line-of-sight priority. Their thanks are usually accompanied by some sort of grateful salutory exclamation, such as "This was incredible" or "This was the best meal I have ever dined upon"...
Many times during these "guest tours" I have over-heard great stories about the progenity of The French Laundry or about the refurnishing processes in 1995 and 2004. Last evening I learned that the Bonnet stove was imported from France and arrived in America in one piece. The stove is huge, about 15 feet by 6 feet. The roof of the kitchen was removed and a crane lowered the stove into the kitchen from 1 1/2 blocks away! Btw, the stove works at up to 800 degrees F. and warms the cook area through radiant heat. All the s/s surfaces are hot and it takes a little while to get used to the hot surfaces. As I was exiting the property (in the fifth day of constant rain as this IS the rainy season in Napa Valley) I came upon a group of three guests who had just had their tour. I was the last to leave the kitchen (just soaking up the ambiance and making sure my stocks were cooking properly) and they wanted to take my picture with them at The Pass. I declined, noting that I was not their chef... So, outside in the rain, I explained more about "the Stage". They were entranced and spell-bound after their experience. Gushing, they took more pictures out in the rain and wanted to know "all about my experience at TFL and what I really thought of the restaurant and what will I be doing after my stage... Pretty cool, actually.
I bid them "au revoir" and walked the block and one-half to my car. The rain beat down mercilessly upon me but I cared not in the least. I had a quick rememberence of Gene Kelly "Singing in the Rain", and I may have skipped and splashed and even hummed a little myself (remember to "Dance as though no one is looking"...) in a sort of giddy affirmation that what I am doing is not only good for me and my soul, but for you the reader of this journal and to the guests (remember that "Hardware stores have customers and restaurants have guests") who trek the many miles to eat at The French Laundry.
Like I stated in the title of this blog, The French Laundry is indeed, for some, a Temple and a Museum. Not for old dusty relics but for the status that it maintains in gastronomic lore. The cars whizzing by on Hwy 29 just 1/2 mile due west may not know what lies behind the trees off to their left (or right). There are passers-by who gape and gawk at the well-known brass nameplate on the restaurant. Some just stand and feel the energy flowing from the river rock and placid exterior gardens as if, by osmosis, their own culinary abilities will be improved. Earlier in the day, during the waning afternoon light, I was once again in the garden sniping blossoms and herbs for the dinner service and two seperate "tourist" groups asked to take my picture while I was attending to my task... Each wanted to know "my story" as well. Now, if you know me at all, I'll talk to anyone with half an ear so I graciously relented to their requests.
The guests at The French Laundry are definitely getting an experience they will not soon forget, as am I. I drove the near 75 minute drive in a torrential monsoon, in complete silence, thinking about food, menus, life and the previous twelve hours. I know that what I'm doing is right, as difficult as it is to be away from family and loved ones, existing in a sort of "Groundhog Day" repetition. I was reminded of a quote that my mother e-mailed to be just the other day. From her "life is Good" coffee mug there appears the following - "Do what you love, and love what you do" - a modern adaptation of some eighth century Confucious wisdom. Thanks, Mom! Peace.
~R
About Me
- Chef Robert N. Corey
- I started in the food and beverage business in May of 1974. I am Chef/Owner of 12 Seasons Personal Chef and Sommelier Services(www.12seasonswinebar.com). The inspiration for the concept of my Personal Chef Service (originally called The French Manner) began in 1988 in Estes Park, Colorado. It began with the cooking of France and eventually migrated to other parts of the globe. Twenty-one years later in 2009, The French Manner has gone global and now operates as 12 Seasons Personal Chef & Sommelier Services. I still seek to do business under three basic premises: • We shall seek the highest echelon of clients for our services and cook creative, individualized menus for them • We will go anywhere, and do anything (for the appropriate costs) to provide memorable food & wine experiences • We will prepare the freshest of food products and serve our cuisine and wine in a professional and dignified manner... Peace.