New culinary team
L . P I E RC E C A R S O N lp car s on@nap ane w s . com
Blue Note Napa has announced its culinary team for the first West Coast outpost of the legendary jazz club. Celebrated for earlier culinary efforts here, chef Christophe Gerard has been named Blue Note Napa’s executive chef. He brings an elegant, yet comfortable and approachable California Provençal-style to the Blue Note Napa menu. Dylan Torcoletti has been hired as general manager. A native of Chartres, France, Gerard earned his culinary certificate from the Centre de Formation d’Apprentis “Les Chaises”, and has honed his craft over several decades at celebrated restaurants in France, New York and Florida before arriving in the Napa Valley in 2002. His culinary journey led him through some of the France’s most notable restaurants, including René Delplanque’s Relais des Hussards in Coulombs, and the Michelin threestar Taillevent in Paris. By 1990, Gerard was showcasing his talent at celebrated U.S. restaurants that include Lespinasse at the St. Regis, Café Pierre of the Pierre Hotel, and René Pujol in New York City, along with Dux at the Peabody in Orlando and 1220 at the Tides in Miami Beach. He moved to the Napa Valley in 2002 to open Angéle, which rapidly earned a spot on Food and Wine Magazine’s top new bistros in North America list. In 2005, Gerard and three colleagues opened the avant-garde 55 Degrees in Sacramento, and soon after was recruited by master sommelier Larry Stone to help elevate the guest experience at Francis Ford Coppola’s estate winery, Rubicon Estate. In 2007, he joined Farm Restaurant at the Carneros Inn. “I am thrilled to be at Blue Note Napa — music and food are perfect complements and we hope to create an upscale, yet comfortable and casual dining experience for our guests,” said Gerard. “My culinary philosophy is to use fresh, quality, locally-sourced ingredients and keep it simple, allowing the food to speak for itself. We are incredibly lucky to live in the food and wine capital of America and will strive to create an experience that reflects the Napa Valley.” Heading up the front of the house will be Dylan Torcoletti, Blue Note Napa’s general manager. A graduate of North Idaho College, Torcoletti’s hospitality experience includes The Coeur d’Alene Resort in Northern Idaho, and the classic Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. He played an intricate role in the hospitality team at Langham Huntington, heading Christophe Gerard is executive chef of the new Blue Note Napa that opened in downtown Napa this up the successful re-opening of The Tap Room fall. Bar and The Royce Wood-fired Steakhouse. The venue will also operate the second story Opera House Ballroom, featuring top national acts, spanning many musical genres, as well as a private event space available for large groups.
Blue Note Napa names kitchen leaders for revamped Opera House
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