Chef Thomas Keller joined a select group this year when he was named a chevalier by the French Legion of Honor. Only two other Americans who work in food have received that honor, Julia Child and Alice Waters.
Keller celebrated the award at a recent ceremony at his Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, and some notable names turned out of the affair. Among those in attendance were chefs Gary Danko and Alice Waters, vintner Bill Harlan, Chuck Williams, founder of the Williams-Sonoma kitchen equipment stores. and Margrit Mondavi.
It was a very elegant affair with a string quartet and everyone dressed to the nines. Even a very well-behaved poodle in attendance wore a neat little black tie. Waiters circulated with Champagne and trays of fabulous canapes. I snacked first and asked questions later which is how I came to eat my first-ever snail, tucked into a crispy little vol-au-vent. I’m happy to report it was delicious.
Mondavi, widow of vintner Robert Mondavi had the crowd laughing as she talked about remembering the days when Yountville didn’t have a paved road. Now the tiny town is a nexus of fine dining and luxury lodging, much of which has to do with Keller’s world-famous French Laundry. He’s since gone on to open other restaurants including Bouchon and Ad Hoc in Yountville and Per Se in New York.
Waters, cofounder of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse and known nationally for her work in promoting eating fresh, seasonal food, also spoke, congratulating Keller for his commitment to quality.
“He has held on to a purity about the food, a sense of the importance of gastronomy, the real pleasure that he brings to people at the talbe _ it’s a beautiful thing,” Waters said.