Forty-five kilometres south of Paris, where the City of Light meets the historic farmland and forest of the Île de France, the walled estate of an 18th century château in the village of Saint-Vrain is a hive of activity. For the past five years, Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly have been building an expansive kitchen garden as a homage, of sorts, to the historic market gardens that once fringed the French capital, supplying its residents with fresh vegetables.
After catching the attention of le tout Paris with their free-form, produce-driven, nose-to-tail cuisine at neo-bistros Au Passage and Bones, the two friends (who met in 2008 while working at Andrew McConnell's Cumulus Inc) began hatching the idea of creating their own farmhouse restaurant.
In collaboration with their London-based French partner who is also the château's owner, they're putting the finishing touches on Le Doyenné, an auberge fashioned from the estate's barn and stables. Inside is a 40-seat restaurant and 11-room country inn.
"It will be a relaxed but grown-up place offering a tasting menu of the best micro-seasonal ingredients from their garden as well as artisanal products from French fishermen, cheesemakers, and vignerons," says Henry.
"We have rare-breed chickens and pigs in addition to heirloom vegetables and fruit trees," adds Kelly, who's happily hung up his chef's hat to take on the role of master gardener.
Neither Henry nor Kelly see themselves as Australians taking on the French at their own game. "It's not a competitive sport," says Henry.
"We've been based in France for 12 years now. It's about creating our own ideal environment for the food we want to create, which was what we were missing in Paris."
This story is from the June 2022 edition of Gourmet Traveller.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2022 edition of Gourmet Traveller.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Barossa Valley
We hit the road for a weekend escape, exploring the best regional Australia has to offer. This month we head to the Barossa Valley in South Australia.
Legends of reinvention
As ultra-luxe hotel group Rosewood takes on three benchmark New Zealand lodges, MICHAEL HARDEN gets the read on this next chapter.
EVERYDAY
Easy entertaining, weeknight dinners and suppers to share, all made with speed, without sacrificing flavour.
Australia's most wanted
For love or money, building a wine collection pays dividends. NED GOODWIN reveals the Australian fine wines to put away.
MEET THE MAKER GREG LAMBRECHT
When US-based engineer Greg Lambrecht invented wine preservation system Coravin a decade ago, he changed the way we drink premium wine.
SANDALFORD
Following its recent reboot, this historic WA winery restaurant is ready to wine and dine a new generation of guests, writes MAX VEENHUYZEN.
PITZI
The team behind Fico trot out a chic new pasta bar which makes simplicity something special, writes ALIX DAVIS.
BATHERS' PAVILION RESTAURANT
A new era is dawning at a lower north shore landmark, writes MATTY HIRSCH, with an astute new recruit leading the way
VUE DE MONDE
A Melbourne icon emerges from a makeover refreshed and energised, writes MICHAEL HARDEN.
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER
Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we meet chef, author and original cook's companion, Stephanie Alexander AO.