CHEFSMichel RichardCentral Michel Richard Chosen by the James Beard Foundation as Outstanding Chef 2007, and Outstanding Wine Service 2007, Michel Richard exemplifies the art of cuisine and a love of his profession. "A great chef, who is cooking at a level that far exceeds any Michelin three-star chef in France," states Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate (May 2003). "One of the finest displays of modern art," says Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post (October 2003). "What you see isn't what you get at Michel Richard Citronelle. The chef has become legend for his playfulness," writes Phyllis Richman in Food Arts (September 2003). Michel Richard was a pioneer in creating the revolutionary French/California cuisine. His style is light, fresh, and intelligent, focusing on innovative combinations, witty presentations, and always an element of texture. "His restless California cuisine is beautiful, offbeat and constantly changing," says Ruth Reichl of the New York Times. Richard knew he wanted to be a chef when he first glimpsed a restaurant kitchen at the age of 8. "The white hats, aprons, and all of the food - I fell in love," Richard says now of the experience. His fate was decided. At 14, Richard apprenticed in a restaurant-run patisserie in Champagne, France. Three years later he moved to Paris where he quickly rose to the top position at Gaston Lenotre's esteemed pastry shop. But, like many other chefs of his age growing up during the Bocuse revolution, Richard wanted to move to America. The opportunity came in 1974 when Lenotre opened a pastry shop in the States. Perhaps America was not yet ready for Lenotre's sophisticated French fare; the patisserie soon closed. While Richard thought he would eventually return to France, in 1975 he moved to Santa Fe for the opportunity to run a pastry shop serving simple meals. A year later he bought the shop, finding that ownership was much more lucrative and creatively energizing. Despite his success, "Santa Fe was not a dream for an ambitious young chef," Richard said, and he looked to the West Coast for his next move. In 1977, Richard moved to Los Angeles, attracted by the power and glamour of the city. He opened Michel Richard to instant success. Richard traveled back and forth to France, eating, learning, and cooking in three-star Michelin-rated restaurants. In 1987, Michel opened Citrus as Executive Chef and owner, adapting his native French cuisine to the tastes of Southern California. Citrus put Michel Richard on the culinary map, and in 1987 it was voted The Best Restaurant in the United States by Traveler's magazine. In 1988, Michel Richard was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who" in American Food and Wine. A year later, Michel opened Citronelle, offering a menu similar to that of Citrus, but in a more elegant atmosphere, overlooking the ocean in the Santa Barbara Inn Hotel. With his financial partners from MeriStar Hotels & Resorts, Inc., he went on to open Bistro M in San Francisco, and Citronelle in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Tokyo, Japan. In 1994, Michel opened Citronelle in the Latham Hotel Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Four years later, Michel decided to focus all of his efforts on the East Coast. In early 1998, after a $2 million renovation, Richard moved from Los Angeles, California to Washington, D.C. to cook full-time at Michel Richard Citronelle. Now Michel considers the D.C. Michel Richard Citronelle his flagship restaurant. Michel is the author of Michel Richard's Home Cooking with a French Accent, published by William Morrow in 1993. His many philanthropic endeavors include a Gala, for which he organized 70 of France's greatest chefs to honor Julia Child, and he raised money for the American Institute of Wine & Food. Michel was a nominee for James Beard's Chef of the Year Award for 1996. The same year, he received the Five-Star Fleur de Lys Award for Outstanding Restaurant. The October 2001 issue of Gourmet listed Michel Richard Citronelle as one of the Top 20 Restaurants in the Country, and by October 2004 Gourmet put Michel's photo on the front cover, an unprecedented honor. Michel regularly lends his creativity to prestigious culinary publications such as Food & Wine, Food Arts, Saveur, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, and the Wine Advocate, and is often featured in major regional publications such as the Washingtonian, New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, among others. In May 2002, Michel was voted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington as the Best Fine Dining Restaurant and Chef of the Year, an accomplishment that no other has attained in the history of the RAMW. Citronelle is repeatedly the recipient of such high honors as ExxonMobil Four Star and AAA Four Diamond awards. In 2002, Michel Richard Citronelle became an invited member of the internationally acclaimed Traditions & Qualité, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, and 2003 brought the highest honor of becoming a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux organization, of hotels and restaurants that originated in France. Michel has been featured on many television and radio shows nationally and internationally. These appearances include CBS Early Show, Martha Stewart, Good Morning America, Food Network, The Outdoor Living Channel, the PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs, hosted by Julia Child, NPR Morning Edition, NPR Splendid Tables, Washington, D.C. TV9, French TVTF1, PBS Colameco's Food Show, and a Canadian TV series, Relais Gourmands. Constantly creating something new, Michel released his second book, Happy in the Kitchen, published by Artisan, in 2006, and opened a French-American brasserie restaurant, Central Michel Richard, in Washington, D.C. |