Foodie trip to California: Michelin-starred Australian chef Matt Abe’s guide to the Napa Valley
Michelin-starred Australian chef Matt Abe on the produce and culinary personalities that give this celebrated corner of the world its distinctive flavour
No one claims two Michelin stars less than three months after opening.
Well, no one and Australian chef Matt Abe. It was last November that the one-time understudy to Matt Moran, who also spent time at Melbourne’s Vue de Monde, opened his award-winning Mayfair fine diner Bonheur, on the former site of the famed Le Gavroche.
It proved Abe’s proper London debut after 16 or so years plating up a string of successes for Gordon Ramsay.
“Michelin was incredibly emotional and a huge honour,” Abe tells ROAM.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“It was wonderful recognition of everyone who helped bring it to life — the commitment that goes into every service, from the kitchen and front of house to our suppliers. I was incredibly proud to see that acknowledged.”
If anything, Abe adds, such accolades encourage him to push harder: “In many ways, the real work was only just beginning.”
The 40-year-old is this month flying to WA and the South West’s Pair’d festival — which has quickly established itself as one of the country’s finest after only just two years of operation.
Abe will host what is the program’s arguable highlight — dinner at Vasse Felix alongside the esteemed label’s head chef Cam Jones and chief winemaker Virginia Willcock.
“Food was very much my introduction to the valley. I first visited Napa in 2010 to do a one-week stage at The French Laundry, which was really an opportunity to learn in a kitchen I had enormous respect for.
“What appealed to me beyond the restaurant was how closely food, wine and the landscape were connected. As a chef you’re obviously curious about the people behind an ingredient or bottle, and travelling around the wineries and encountering such passion and hospitality gave me an appreciation of the place that went beyond the cooking — and that’s definitely stayed with me.
“When you visit wineries, you appreciate how much thought and work goes into something you might otherwise encounter simply as the finished product. There’s also a generosity in sharing that knowledge which makes the experience very memorable. The relationship between patience and precision also interests me — a winemaker makes decisions whose results might take years to understand whereas chefs work to a different timescale, but there’s a shared respect for the raw material.
“Yountville and St Helena are the two towns I really enjoy in Napa. Obviously Yountville has significance for me because of my time at The French Laundry and St Helena brings together restaurants I’d recommend, including Press and The Charter Oak, with opportunities to explore the wines. While Healdsburg is in neighbouring Sonoma County, SingleThread is a good reason to make the journey and it brings another dimension to a wider wine-country trip. I’d also give each place some proper time rather than trying to fit everything into one day.
“Thomas Keller’s (The French Laundry) Oysters and Pearls is a dish that’s such a distinctive expression of his cooking — precise and considered. At SingleThread, Kyle Connaughton’s opening bites are amazing, there’s a sense of a journey from the beginning of the meal and as a chef you appreciate the thought that goes into those first impressions and how they prepare you for what follows.
“I book the meals and winery appointments that I’m most keen on and also leave space around them. If every hour of the day is accounted for, you can miss somewhere you hadn’t expected to stop. I also organise a driver for tasting days as it allows you to relax and enjoy without someone having to think about the journey back. And if we’re including Healdsburg as well as Napa, I’d always take a day rather than trying to squeeze it in between appointments.
“Beyond food and wine, I’d definitely make room for a walk somewhere like Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, with its woodland trails. It gives you a different experience of the landscape and a quieter morning between restaurant and winery visits.
“To stay in Napa I like the Solage in Calistoga. There are places to chill as well such as Solbar and Picobar on site. In Healdsburg, I’d look to stay at SingleThread. For a trip centred on food, it’s such a good way to extend the experience into the next morning, and means settling in for dinner without a journey back to Napa after.”
Matt Abe’s Ultimate Napa Valley Itinerary (With A Side Of Sonoma)
Day one: Yountville, Oakville and The French LaundryStart with coffee at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville before exploring the town. Lunch could be something simple from Oakville Grocery before a tasting at Heitz Cellar in St Helena. In the evening, head to The French Laundry.
Day two: St Helena Start the day at The Model Bakery in St Helena, have a chilled morning, then have lunch at The Charter Oak. Then in the afternoon, I’d return to Solage for time by the pool before dinner at PRESS.
Day three: Healdsburg, Ridge and SingleThreadDrive to Healdsburg and arrange a tasting at Ridge’s Lytton Springs estate. I’d have a light lunch in town and leave time to explore before checking in at SingleThread and having dinner there.
Pair’d runs November 19–22; pairdmargaretriver; bonheurbymattabe.com
