Interview with chef Roland Passot of La Folie, Left Bank and LB Steak

 Making people happy through food is what he does best

When you talk with renowned French chef Roland Passot of La Folie, Left Bank and LB Steak, it's like chatting with an old friend.  He is charming, gregarious and a great storyteller.  Here is what he shared during our recent interview.

DB:  I understand that you were classically trained in Lyon at the age of 14.  What inspired you to become a chef at such a young age?

RP:  My love for food and gardening with my grandfather.  Getting the freshest ingredients from the garden and watching my grandmother and mother incorporate them in their cooking.  It really taught me the importance of family time around the table.

DB:  You have cooked in various cities throughout the United States, including Chicago and Dallas.  How does the Bay Area compare to other cities and how would you describe your contribution to the San Francisco culinary scene?

RP:  It is hard to compare the Bay Area with other cities.  In my opinion, we are the leaders in food and wine.  I am talking about farming, sustainability and diversity of culture.  California is the belly of the United States when it comes to fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses and wines.  I get my inspiration from our local farmers markets.  My contribution is to inspire young chefs to never stop learning, keep the food true and to not overwork it.  I want to guide them to become great chefs and leaders in our profession.

DB:  La Folie is one of my favorite special occasion restaurants in San Francisco.  The attention to detail, personal touches and incredible food make it the amazing place that it is.  How do you orchestrate such impeccable service and timing from the minute guests walk in until the moment they leave?  How do you manage things in the kitchen while being so engaged with each of your guests at the same time?

RP:  Teamwork.  Everyone has an important role, from the person answering the phone, seating the guests, welcoming guests as if they are walking into our home, to the dishwasher cleaning the dishes, pots and pans.  We are a big family, cooking and serving with our pride and soul.  Our role is to make people happy and make sure they leave the restaurant with a smile and come back as regulars.  It's about earning their patronage.

DB:  You opened La Folie in 1988 and, this spring, expanded it to include the adjacent La Folie Lounge.  You replaced Tanglewood with LB Steak in Santana Row in June and co-own the Left Bank Restaurants with Ed Levine.  How do you divide your time among your many restaurants?

RP:  I am primarily at La Folie.  I am in the kitchen every day, unless I am sick or have a charity event.  I manage my time by delegating and communicating my visions for the Left Bank and LB Steak to the great kitchen and front of the house staff and allowing them to make the restaurant their own.

DB:  What are some of your favorite restaurants?

RP:  Do you mean besides Left Bank?  We live in Marin so we actually go to Left Bank Larkspur pretty often.  We like to go to Poggio or Angelino's in Sausalito.  For a special occasion, if it's a beautiful day, we might go to the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. 

DB:  What about your kids?  What do they like to eat?  Is there a particular dish that they often ask you to make for them at home?

RP:  My son Jean-Paul is almost 11 years old, and he loves foie gras, hot or cold.  He was probably around four years old when he tried foie gras for the first time.  He also likes oysters.  My daughter Charlotte is 16 and will eat pretty much anything.  She likes fish and mussels and asks me to make duck a l'orange.  We eat simple things at home.  They love my mother's mashed potatoes made with new potatoes, lots of butter and salt.  We eat it with roast chicken, or we'll have ribeye with salad.  If you go to Left Bank Larkspur, there is a drink called the Charlotte Temple.  It's a Shirley Temple with a splash of orange juice.  When my son got older, he said it wasn't fair that his sister had something named after her so he wanted something, too.  So, there is the Jean-Paul Profiterole.  It has raspberry sorbet instead of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce.

DB:  I enjoy watching Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."  What's the best thing you've ever eaten in the Bay Area?

RP:  It was a blackberry tart with a crust made using duck fat at Campton Place.  It was a family recipe of Laurent Manrique.

DB:  Is there a food that you won't eat?

RP:  No, I will eat just about anything once.

DB:  Name a person for whom you would love to cook.

RP:  Antonin Careme known as "The King of Chefs, and the Chef of Kings."

DB:  I understand that you knew Julia Child.  Have you seen the movie, "Julie and Julia?"

RP:  Yes, I knew Julia!  I haven't seen the movie yet, but my wife has.  Julia is the mother of French cuisine in the United States.  She made French food accessible to Americans.  She was here for my 40th birthday and when I asked if she wanted me to choose the dishes for her she said, "Absolutely not!  I want to choose myself."  She ordered things like foie gras and sweetbreads.  She and Jacques Pepin, they were very close friends, came to my 45th birthday.  I was having a lot of pain in my feet, I had been for several days.  I ended up in the hospital later that night.  It was a severe gout attack.  I remember telling Julia about it and she said, "Just eat more foie gras, sweetbreads and butter." 

DB:  Cupcakes, pizza, hotdogs, street food, froyo and pork have been the rave recently.  What do you predict will be next?

RP:  I would say more chefs and mixologists using increased interest in molecular gastronomy and using natural chemicals such as imperial gellan, liquid nitrogen, calcium lactate, sodium alginate and agar agar.  Currently, mixologists are similar to chefs.  They go to the farmers markets to find the best seasonal ingredients from local farmers and really focus on creating drinks with different flavor profiles so I think this is the next step.

DB:  You have received such notoriety and critical acclaim over the years, have you achieved the level of success that you have aspired to?  Do you have a goal that you have yet to accomplish? 

RP:  I would like to publish my own cookbook, receive 2 Michelin stars and a James Beard award before I die.

DB:  Fill in the blank:  "To me, food is..."

RP:  "...life to share with friends."

For more information:

La Folie.  2316 Polk Street between Green and Union.  415.776.5577.

Left Bank Restaurants.  Locations in Larkspur, Menlo Park and San Jose.

LB Steak.   334 Santana Row, Suite 1000, San Jose.  408.244.1180.