Frenchie: New Bistro Cooking

On a quiet cobblestoned side street north of Les Halles in Paris, a veritable food revolution is happening thanks to chef Greg Marchand’s game-changing restaurant, Frenchie. Here are some of his most inspired and deeply original recipes, dishes that are radiant not just in color but in flavor, and filled with alluring hints of international influences. Chutneys, pestos, and flavored vinaigrettes take the place of heavier and more traditional French fare, and the juxtaposition of ingredients (watermelon with ricotta salata; roasted carrots with oranges and avocado; raw baby turnips and juicy pears) adds energy to a once hidebound bistro tradition. To the question “Is there anything new under the sun?” Frenchie answers, unequivocally, “Yes!”

GREG MARCHAND’s passion for cooking began in the kitchen of the French orphanage where he was raised. At 20, after putting himself through cooking school, Marchand began a journey that would take him to London, Hong Kong, Spain, and New York. While cooking at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, he earned the nickname Frenchie, an appellation that stuck. After 10 years cooking abroad, he returned home to open Frenchie the restaurant, and soon thereafter, a wine bar and a take-out food shop called Frenchie to Go—all on rue du Nil, which is now the most exciting food street in Paris.