News From Wall House! St Barts

Ten years ago my business partner Denis Chevalier and I left our successful restaurant Le Bercail near Chamonix in the French Alps for a new adventure, a failed restaurant on the tiny French Caribbean island of St Barthˇlemy. We purchased Wall House in November of 2000, opened for business during the 2000 Christmas Season, and the success of the restaurant has been amazing.

In 2006 it was time for Denis to leave the island, and we asked our old friend and colleague Bernard Tatin to help run the restaurant. Wall House has continued to be successful, and has continued to grow.

It is now time for me to move on to the next stage in my life, something that I do with mixed emotions. It is time for me and my wife to focus more on family. In November we will be temporarily moving to Montreal to spend more time with our son, as he completes one stage in his education and prepares to move on to university.

My years at Wall House have been incredible. Wall House has been my "baby", opening it with Denis, developing the menu, growing the business, and improving it each year. Wall House has continued to grow with Bernard's help.

While I look forward to spending more time with my family, I am very sad to be leaving Wall House. Wall House was also a family to me, the restaurant itself, the team, and the customers. As much as the food and the service make a restaurant successful, they are nothing without the customers. The valued and cherished customers of Wall House have become friends and supporters of both me and the restaurant. The friendly faces that I see return again and again have encouraged and inspired me to continue to improve the restaurant and the menu.

While I am sad to be leaving Wall House, there is good news too. Bernard has purchased the restaurant. While Bernard will bring his own touches to Wall House, as Denis and I did when we purchased it, you can expect many things to remain the same. Bernard has hired a very professional young chef from France, who will be moving to the island with his family. Several of the chefs and waiters plan to return when the restaurant reopens in October. I will be sharing the recipes for many of our customer's favorites such as Grenouillettes, Gnocchi Maison "Al Pesto", and Fondant Au Chocolate with the new chef, who will bring new ideas of his own to the menu.

I also want to let you know that I am only leaving St Barthˇlemy temporarily. My wife and I are moving to Montreal in November, but we are keeping our home in St Barthˇlemy. We will return to the island in April. My future plans are to develop a new business in St Barthˇlemy, and I will tell you all more about that as the plans develop.

I will have more time to spend with my Wall House friends now that the restaurant has closed for the season. I hope to see many of you between now and when we leave the island in November.

For now, and for the friends that I will not see before November, I want to tell you all that I will miss you very much. Wall House is very special, and the valued and cherished customers and friends were what made it successful. I thank you for your patronage, your loyalty, and your friendship.

Please join me in wishing nothing but the best for Bernard Tatin and his team, and for the continued success of Wall House.

I also need to say a particular thanks to Kate and Kevin Strong for the amazing work they done helping me to write this letter I would never find the proper words in English without them, as I always say there is no other place in the world I could find so kind customers like you!

A bientot,

Franck