It’s difficult to overemphasize the role of French cuisine on the development of the American culinary consciousness. Without the French, instead of bistros, Manhattan’s streets would be lined with burger joints. Without the French, instead of mesclun, we would still be eating iceberg. Without the French, instead of foie gras terrine, Julia Child would have taught us how to make Jell-O mold. Appreciation for culinary technique, respect for ingredients, and, most of all, a celebration of food are all quintessentially French qualities that have made their way across the continental divide and changed the way we eat in the United States. And so we here at the James Beard Foundation decided that honoring French cuisine at our Annual Holiday Auction and Dinner would be a fitting tribute to our forebears and mentors. The participants in this auction represent some of today’s most influential contributors to the world of French food, wine, and spirits.

	Event Chair Dominique Hériard Dubreuil Rémy Cointreau		Auctioneer Richard Brierley Christie’s, NYC		Bertrand Chemel Café Boulud, NYC		Luc Dimnet Brasserie, NYC
	Daniel Hébet Restaurant Le Jardin du Quai, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France		Pierre Hermé Pierre Hermé, Paris		Michel Richard Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, D.C.		André Soltner The French Culinary Institute, NYC

The night’s festivities will be overseen by our auctioneer, Richard Brierley, and our event chair, Dominique Hériard Dubreuil. Now the head of North American Wine Sales for Christie’s, Brierley began his career in the Epernay cellars of Moët et Chandon in Champagne. He combines detailed knowledge of the wine world—he holds a diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust—with years of experience in sales. Before joining Christie’s, Brierley worked as a specialist and auctioneer at a major auction house in London and New York, and as a senior account manager at an online wine trading company.

Though Dominique Hériard Dubreuil was born into the wine and spirits business, she initially established herself in the world of international public relations, where she spent twenty years advising large corporate clients. Hériard Dubreuil joined her brothers at the family-owned Rémy Cointreau in 1988 as chairman of Rémy Martin, ultimately succeeding her father as Chairman of the Board of Rémy Cointreau. One of the top ten wine and spirits companies in the world, Rémy Cointreau owns a portfolio of premium brands including Louis XIII, Rémy Martin, Cointreau, Mount Gay Rum, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, and Champagne Charles Heidsieck.

Heir to four generations of bakers and pastry chefs, Pierre Hermé began his career at age 14 as an apprentice to Gaston Lenôtre at his famous pastry shop. By 24, he held the top pastry spot with luxury caterer Fauchon. In 1996 he left Fauchon to launch Pierre Hermé Paris in Tokyo with his business partner, Charles Znaty. Successful tea salons and pastry boutiques in Japan and Paris followed: Hermé’s shops became known worldwide for their irresistible treats. Referred to by Vogue as “the Picasso of Pastry,” Hermé has transformed the pastry business into an art form, launching twice-yearly collections and holding wildly popular—and delicious—runway shows.

The new executive chef at Café Boulud, Bertrand Chemel grew up eating the rustic Auvergne cooking of his grandparents. Early in his career, he worked under Michel Gaudin at his alpine resort. Gaudin later sent Chemel to work at the Hotel du Rhône in Geneva, where the young apprentice learned from visiting chefs from India and North Africa. Chemel’s next post was with Jacques Chibois at the Bastide St. Antoine in Grasse, where he soaked up Provençal flavors and techniques until his old mentor Gaudin arranged for him to join Daniel Boulud’s team in New York. Chemel began working at Daniel as a line cook, but was soon promoted to sous-chef. He spent the past two years as sous-chef at Café Boulud.

Luc Dimnet has been stirring up excitement among food critics for his work at Brasserie. “Dimnet delivers sensible, well-executed food with up-to-date touches,” wrote William Grimes of the New York Times. According to Hal Rubenstein of New York magazine, “The young chef’s entrées excite as notably as the décor.” A native of Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France, Dimnet has more than ten years of classic French culinary experience. He studied at Lyceé Hôtelier d’Enseignement Professionnel before moving on to the kitchens of the Michelin three-star restaurants Le Crocodile and Buerehiesel in Strasbourg. Dimnet moved to the United States in 1997 to become the saucier at Les Célébrités at the Essex House, eventually moving up to the position of chef de cuisine under Christian Delouvrier. Before taking on the post of exec chef at Brasserie, Dimnet worked at Tropica Bar and Seafood House under Franck Deletrain.

The trajectory of Daniel Hébet’s career does not follow the standard French model. Hébet, who originally wanted to be an athlete, settled for the culinary life when he was 19. He became chef de partie at La Table d’Anvers in 1990, and worked as chef de cuisine at Le Petit Bedon from 1992 to 1996. The following year, however, Hébet decided to move to Lima, Peru, to expand his creativity and culinary purview. In Lima he worked in television, taught French cooking classes, and prepared feasts for the Peruvian elite, all the while opening his mind—and his kitchen—to new ideas and techniques. After returning to France Hébet took over the kitchen at Lar Mirande in Avignon, eventually earning the restaurant two Michelin stars. He opened Le Jardin du Quai in 2004.

Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate described Michel Richard as “a great chef who is cooking at a level that far exceeds any Michelin three-star chef in France.” Ruth Reichl of the New York Times concurred, writing, “His restless California cuisine is beautiful, offbeat and constantly changing.” Like so many of his French culinary compatriots, Richard began a kitchen apprenticeship as a teenager; he was eventually hired by Gaston Lenôtre. After moving to Los Angeles in 1977, Richard opened Michel Richard, his highly successful pastry shop. In 1987, he followed up with Citrus, where he adapted French cuisine to Southern California palettes and ingredients. A slate of new restaurants followed, including Bistro M in San Francisco and Citronelle locations in Santa Barbara, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Richard is currently based at the highly acclaimed Michel Richard Citronelle in Washington, D.C.

Best known as the chef and owner of the New York restaurant institution Lutèce, André Soltner began his career in his native Alsace. By the time he was 27, he had worked in prestigious kitchens throughout Europe, including the Royal Hôtel in Deauville, the Palace Hôtel in Switzerland, the Hôtel de l”Europe in Alsace, and the Parisian restaurant Chez Hansi, where he was the head chef. Lutèce, which Soltner opened in 1961, was an unmitigated success: for 23 years it held five stars in the Mobil Guide and the top four-star rating from the New York Times. Soltner joined the teaching faculty of the French Culinary Institute in 1995.