Vincent Guerithault

The Path

Apprenticeship and early station work set the technical floor. In cooking roles at L'Oustau de Baumaniere in Les Baux de Provence, France, at Maxim's in Paris, France, and at Fauchon in Paris, France, Vincent Guerithault worked inside kitchens where precision, repetition, sauce work, pastry, and service standards mattered before personal style did. A sous-chef post tests whether that foundation can hold under command. At Le Francais in Chicago, Illinois, where Vincent Guerithault became sous-chef in 1976, the French training moved into an American dining room context without leaving its method behind.

The Work Today

A restaurant kept by the same chef-owner since 1986 is a different kind of production system than a short-lived opening. At Vincent on Camelback in Phoenix, Guerithault’s work has been measured in continuity: menu decisions, standards, service rhythm, and the repeated fit between French technique and the ingredients of the Southwest. “Make the years count.” In this trade context, the line reads as operating procedure. The years count through accumulated judgment, through the restraint to let technique carry the plate, and through the daily work required to turn a restaurant from a location into a durable body of practice.

Signature

The signature dishes name the range of the kitchen without needing explanation: Lemon Crêpe Soufflé, Sautéed Lobster in Saffron Sauce, Chilies with Wild Mushroom Stuffing and Shallot-Butter Sauce, Stuffed Poblano Chili, and peach tarts. In that set, Vincent’s work shows French structure carrying heat, fruit, butter, saffron, pastry, and Southwestern produce in the same register.

In Their Words “I think my style has become more French over the years. While I’ve always blended French with Southwestern ingredients, my menu from 25 years ago was more contemporary.” “With the help of my uncle I got a job as an apprentice at L'Oustau de Baumaniere in Les Baux de Provence at the age of 16. I loved it and have been cooking ever since.”

Acclaim

In 2003, Restaurant magazine recognized Vincent on Camelback in its World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Restaurant recognition at that level marks more than a single service period. For Vincent on Camelback, the 2003 listing points to a restaurant practice built from apprenticeship at L'Oustau de Baumaniere, cooking roles at Maxim's and Fauchon, sous-chef work at Le Francais from 1976, and chef-owner continuity in Phoenix from 1986 to today.