Raphael Francois

In Their Words “We are known for charcuterie, good bread that we make in-house and then very good wine.”

The Recognition He earned them at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London, where he worked as chef before his American chapters became the center of his public story. That recognition matters most when kept specific: not as a floating label, but as an award earned at a named restaurant in London. It marks a period of exacting kitchen work before Francois moved through major dining rooms in the United States and built his Los Angeles presence.

The Work

Behind It The restaurant is the clearest expression of his current role, and his own description of the work is direct: "We are known for charcuterie, good bread that we make in-house and then very good wine." His relationship with place comes through most plainly in the way he speaks about West Hollywood: "In West Hollywood people can be whatever they want whenever they want." For a chef whose path moved across London, New York City, Washington, D.C, and Los Angeles, that line gives the California chapter a particular emotional charge.

The Road That role put him inside one of the named American dining rooms on his résumé after the London chapter that brought Michelin recognition. Francois has been plain about the pull of the United States. "Ever since I was a teenager, my dream was to move to America." Another of his lines is even shorter, and more final: "This is where I pitched my tent."