Your letters and memories mean a great deal to us. As we continue gathering for our 50th anniversary book, we invite you to write a ‘Dear French Laundry’ letter, share a doodle, or express a memory in your own creative way. Please send it to: [email protected].
Experience the beauty of summertime in the Napa Valley. We are pleased to announce that reservations for the month of June are now available.
We look forward to welcoming you to our dining room or courtyard to experience our Chef’s Tasting Menu, featuring ingredients sourced from the @tfl_culinarygarden .
On Saturday, June 20th, we will host a Black Truffle & @regiisova Caviar Dinner. Please note, on June 1st, 2nd 5th and 26th we will be closed.
Reservations are available via @exploretock or the link in our bio.
“Change tends to happen in small, deliberate ways. It is more about refining than reinventing, and finding ways to move forward while still honoring what makes the place meaningful.”
Read the full interview with The French Laundry’s (@_tfl_ ) Chef de Cuisine Ara Jo. Link in bio.
As spring unfolds in Yountville, we are pleased to announce that reservations for May are now available.
Beginning Friday, May 1st, we welcome the return of outdoor dining. Guests are invited to join us in the dining room or the courtyard to experience the Chef’s Tasting Menu or Vegetable Tasting Menu, shaped by the seasonal harvest from @tfl_culinarygarden .
On Sunday, May 10th, we will offer a special Mother’s Day menu, with reservations available from 2:00pm to 8:00pm. Later in the month, on Saturday, May 23rd, we are honored to host our Black Truffle & Regiis Ova Caviar Dinner, featuring a multi‑course menu celebrating two exceptional ingredients.
Please note that the restaurant will be closed on May 4th, 6th, 7th and 13th.
Reservations are available via @ExploreTock or through the link in our bio. We look forward to welcoming you.
From Yountville to London–our team is celebrating something truly special.
We congratulate our Chef de Partie Joshua Ricciardo and Captain Austin Steed for winning the World Young Chef-Young Waiter Competition on the international stage that brings together the next generation of hospitality talent from around the globe.
The competition celebrates young professionals and excellence across both kitchen and dining rooms, and this year’s competition in London welcomed 27 finalists representing nine countries, each selected for their technical skill and professionalism. Congratulations to all who competed, and to Josh, Austin and our teammate Mitchell Coriell on this remarkable achievement!
The garden at The French Laundry is more than a source of produce—it’s a place of learning, perspective, and intention. At the center of it all is Garden Manager Teresa Kao, whose work helps shape how cooks understand the ingredients they handle every day. “The garden is an educational tool,” Teresa shared, explaining that time spent growing food creates a deeper reverence for it. That connection between seed, soil and plate guides everything she does.
With a background in social policy, anthropology, and migration studies, Teresa brings a rare depth of perspective to her work, bridging people, place and purpose. Today, she leads the gardening team with expertise and enthusiasm, balancing science, observation and collaboration. “Every day begins with communication,” she said. “Take the tomato—with thousands of varieties available, envisioning the right menu starts with selecting the right seed.”
Through curiosity and care, Teresa helps the garden remain a vital link between the land and the kitchen.
Pastry Chef Brenda Moreau’s path to pastry was anything but linear. “I started working in my parents’ restaurant when I was twelve, but as a teenager I never wanted to do what my parents did, of course,” she said jokingly. She went on to study psychology, project management in humanitarian action, theater and engineering, and worked with children before realizing at twenty-five that "pastry was the intersection of everything I had ever cared about; continuous teaching and learning, scientific but creative, physical yet reflective, regimented and playful."
Since joining The French Laundry, Brenda has brought that same curiosity and dedication to every service. This May, she celebrates five years with the team, where she’s become known not only for her precision and technique but also for the care she brings to her colleagues. "She constantly shows finesse and attention to detail in menu preparation,” said Pastry Chef Jamie Houghton, "while also taking initiative in planning for future events and special moments on the calendar. Just as importantly, Brenda shows a genuine care for her teammates, ensuring challenges are heard and addressed, and always striving to make a positive impact."
“It’s an honor to play a small part in someone’s celebration or bucket list,” said Brenda. “My favorite thing in the world is creating custom desserts that tell someone’s story. I also love bonding with my team! It's a true privilege to witness people's progression through the kitchen, and I'm always so proud to see them grow and what they go on to do.”
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#womenshistorymonth #internationalwomensday
Fifty years ago, a blind tasting in Paris reshaped wine history and introduced Napa Valley to the world.
In 1976, French judges stunned the wine establishment by ranking Napa wines above Bordeaux and Burgundy, awarding top honors to Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. The result challenged long-held assumptions and permanently altered global wine standards.
This spring commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris with a special evening honoring the vintners, winemakers, and wines inspired by the tasting that forever changed Napa Valley’s place on the world stage. Guests will enjoy a thoughtfully curated selection and menu inspired by the original tasting—celebrating the moment that elevated Napa onto the international stage.
A defining moment.
Iconic producers.
One historic evening.
Join us Saturday, April 25th. Reservations are available via @Exploretock or via the reservations link in our bio.
Few chefs have shaped the course of modern cuisine as profoundly as Monsieur Paul Bocuse. Today, on what would have been his 100th birthday, I remember my dear friend through Rougets en Écailles de Pomme de Terre: red mullet with crisp potato scales. Bocuse once called it one of his proudest dishes. Like him, it is confident without excess, exacting yet generous and grounded in a deep respect for the traditions it helped carry forward. I’m grateful for the time, the meals and the influence he so freely shared.
Joyeux anniversaire. Tu nous manqueras toujours, et nous nous souviendrons de toi avec affection — chef, mentor et ami.
48 years ago, Don and Sally Schmitt opened the doors of a small stone building in a quiet town in the Napa Valley with a simple belief—that a restaurant could be a place where honest food would be served with generosity and could foster human connection. In doing so, they launched the foundation of what The French Laundry is today. We pause to mark this moment in recognition of their enduring vision, thank the early team who gave it life, and share gratitude for the countless guests who have filled these rooms with celebration and made lifetimes of memories.
As we begin the journey toward our collective 50th anniversary, we invite you—our extended family of guests and friends—to help us gather some of those memories. Share your favorite moments with us: a meal you’ll never forget, a walk through the garden, a glimpse into the kitchen, a photograph from a special night through your eyes.
Tag us and use #myfrenchlaundry, or send images and stories to [email protected]. Over the coming year we’ll be collecting and sharing these memories as we move toward this milestone.
Wishing you a wonderful New Year.
The French Laundry will be closed for our annual winter break from January 1st through February 3rd. This year, we are extending the pause to allow time for thoughtful refreshes. We look forward to welcoming you back on February 4th.
Reservations for March will be released on February 1st at 10:00am PT via @ExploreTock .
