Page 26 - Valley Table - Spring 2023

Champêtre
Auc
They say that everything about Champêtre, from its size to its pace, feels just right post- pandemic. “With a smaller restaurant, we’re able to work more closely with small farms and purveyors,” explains Patricia. “Michel is cooking the food of his heritage...with products from the Hudson Valley.”
The petite space, the former location of Italian restaurant Agriturismo and breakfast spot Crumpets, needed a bit of sprucing up before its summer opening. The Jeans stripped the linoleum floor, polished the concrete, and installed a new kitchen. Their daughter, Emilie, an antique textile dealer in New York City, designed
the concept, incorporating banquettes from The Roxy, a former nightclub in Manhattan, chic barstools Patricia ordered from eBay, and vintage chairs that her friend, an antique dealer, had rescued from a dumpster in the 1980s.
Though Michel serves as head chef and Patricia handles the front of the house, the cozy space allows them to forge a better connection to their guests. Even on busy nights, Champêtre exudes
an utterly French private dinner party vibe. The tables are ideal for a romantic date, while corner nooks summon slightly larger parties. Overall, the setting is designed for warm conversations over delicious, rustic French dishes. Michel draws exclusively from his Provençal roots—heavy on fresh game, seafood, seasonal vegetables, and herbs—which means guests can savor classic appetizers like escargots in
thentic French dining comes alive in a quaint Dutchess hamlet.
BY PAULA ANN MITCHELL
hef Michel Jean has had an
extraordinary career as a top chef. He’s worked in the dining room at Michelin-starred restaurants including The River Café and Le Cirque in New York City, apprenticed at Moroccan King Hassan II, and created memorable meals for politicians, rock stars, actors, and artists.
A graduate of École Hôtelière in Nice, Michel and his wife, Patricia, have owned several successful restaurants stretching from Manhattan to the south of France. One of their legacies is Provence, the esteemed SoHo bistro that Zagat repeatedly listed in its “Top 10 Romantic Restaurants” throughout the 1990s. Mick Jagger dined there. So did actor Gérard Depardieu, singer Patti Smith, Andy Warhol, and HV
Patricia and Michel at Champêtre (above). Marquise au chocolat with pistachios (below).
resident Martha Stewart.
The couple has lived in Pine
Plains since 1989. They took over Stissing House in 2005, and ran it as a French-inspired restaurant, before ending their lease in 2021. (Acclaimed chef Clare de Boer took over soon
after.) But Michel, age 74, was not ready to retire his toque. In July 2021, he and Patricia opened the stylish but simple Champêtre, just four doors away from Stissing House.
“I like to joke about it,” says Michel. “This is like semi- retirement, going from 120 seats to 23.” The new, smaller digs suit them just fine.
Champêtre, which means “rural” in French, reflects
their love for the countryside. Michel grew up in Bel-Air, a small town outside of Salon- de-Provence in southern France, and longed to return
to his rural roots, particularly since he is a hunting and riding enthusiast. “I discovered that Dutchess County had a lot of shooting and riding clubs,” he says. “That’s why we decided to put our roots down here. Pine Plains still has that small-town feel, even though it’s changed over the years.”
24 TheValleyTable | March—May2023
PHOTOS BY PAULA ANN MITCHELL