Left Bank Brasserie Chef Fabrice Marcon Named A Maîtres Cuisiniers De France

Chef Fabrice Marcon, Left Bank Brasserie Larkspur's Chef de Cuisine, has just been named a Maîtres Cuisiniers de France. This is one of the foremost international honors that can be bestowed on a French chef.

The Association of Maîtres Cuisiniers de France promotes professional excellence through numerous cooking competitions in France and internationally. The organization's motto is "to preserve and spread the French culinary arts, encourage training in cuisine, and assist professional development." It employs nearly 10,000 people and is also involved with commissions focused on vocational diplomas and certificates granted by specialized schools. In addition, it promotes high quality products via designations such as "Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée" and Red Labels.

Comments Left Bank Brasserie President and COO Mario Vega, "I am very proud that Chef Marcon's respected career and talents, long evident in his culinary efforts at Left Bank, have now been acknowledged by such a prestigious organization."

There are now three Left Bank Brasserie chefs who have been acknowledged by the Association of Maîtres Cuisiniers de France – Marcon and previously Roland Passot (also of La Folie) and Joël Guillon. Other San Francisco Bay Area chefs who have received this distinction include Laurent Manrique of Cafe de la Presse and Xavier Salomon of NAVIO Restaurant.

Marcon is a native of France and was trained as a cook in the French apprenticeship system. He began his training at age 14, in classical French style cuisine in 2- and 3-star Michelin restaurants. After his obligatory 3 years in the French military, he returned to France to work in some of Europe's most respected kitchens including Le Chat Botté at the Beau Rivage Palace in Geneva and Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon. He was sent by Bocuse as Conseille Technique to Grand Hotel Stockholm where he met Betty, an American pastry chef. As husband and wife they moved back to the U.S. where Marcon worked at Meadowood Resort in the Napa Valley. He was hired to work at the Westin St. Francis in 1994 and moved to San Francisco. In 1997, the desire to make his own food in his own kitchen was too strong and the couple found the Hyde Street Bistro. It was a neighborhood restaurant which fit their needs: small, congenial, focused on traditional bistro cuisine, easy, uncomplicated and simple. Location and the economy made profitability at Hyde Street difficult. When the Ferry Building opened it seemed like a perfect location for Fabrice's rotisserie concept. The menu at Mistral was Fabrice's creation, focusing on simple French Provencale-style comfort foods in a fast-food environment. The unique quick-serve concept flourished and contributed to the great success of the Ferry Building as a destination in San Francisco for anyone interested in great food. In 2008, Mistral closed and Marcon took a position with Eurest Corporation at Levi Straus Plaza in the executive dining room, before coming to Left Bank Brasserie Larkspur.

The Left Bank Brassiere family of restaurants is headquartered in San Jose, California and operates venues under that name in Larkspur, San Jose and Menlo Park. They also operate LB Steak restaurants in San Jose and Menlo Park. The web site addresses are www.leftbank.com and www.lbsteak.com.