Later this week, when the Michelin Guide California announces the restaurants that will bring home its coveted stars in 2025, it could also shatter a glass ceiling that’s been in place since 2007.
Stéphane Saint Louis, co-chef/owner of Petaluma’s Table Culture Provisions—which earned a “recommended” distinction from inspectors for the first time this spring—is poised to become the first Black chef to bring home the honor in the entire state.
Table Culture Provisions—a 17-seat, hyper-seasonal bistro—has been drawing attention for its warm approach to California cuisine since opening in 2020. At the cozy, neighborhood restaurant, Saint Louis and co-chef/owner Steven Vargas specialize in sophisticated dishes with classic French touches—think beef tartare with sunchoke cappuccino; the catch of the day with creamy leeks, asparagus, and vin jaune; and beef pithivier with mushroom jus—served in four- or seven-course tasting menu form.
Chef Stéphane Saint Louis is poised to break a color barrier in the restaurant industry at this week's Michelin awards.(Kristy Ahumada)
“Table Culture, it’s never been about getting a star but about setting up certain standards not only for myself but for my team,” says Saint Louis, who moved to Northern California from Haiti at age 17. “It’s my happy place.”
Indeed, Saint Louis’ relationship with the restaurant is more lifestyle than business. He and his family live next door and his wife, Marta Saint Louis, runs operations and the front of the house. Table Culture Provisions is almost an extension of their home, in which their young kids are regular fixtures.
“It’s about having that accessibility to my family because I work very long hours every day,” says Saint Louis. “My son can basically come in and enjoy a tasting menu and let us know what was his favorite, what he didn’t like, and why he didn’t like it. That’s really what I cherish most.”
The Michelin Guide awards come at an especially hectic moment for Saint Louis, whose second restaurant, Bijou, opened just two weeks ago. It’s a more casual concept than Table Culture Provisions—one that more closely resembles the first restaurant’s origins as a pop-up doing fried chicken and other, more approachable eats during Covid.
“Bistronomy is what I call it—bistro-ish food but with a gastronomy touch in the sense of presentation, the techniques we’re using, and fun, out-of-the-ordinary bites,” says Saint Louis.
Mignardise at Table Culture Provisions: pistachio choux, orange coffee macaron, and roses des sables (Kristy Ahumada)
On the debut dinner menu are dishes like steak and frites and saffron risotto, as well as snacks and shareables like fried fennel and camembert cheese fondant with garlic confit and sourdough. The price point is lower, the space is larger, and the design is beautiful, Saint Louis continues.“If I could lift it up and put it in the city or L.A., I feel like it would do very well. After our first week, people are pretty ecstatic about what we’re doing.”
Saint Louis feels good about Table Culture Provision’s chances at a star—and the possibility of breaking a color barrier in the restaurant industry. “I know how big of a deal it is. If it happens, I’ll never take that for granted,” he says. “But at the same time, if it doesn’t, it’s fine—I’m still in the race and doing what I have to do to eventually get one.”
// Table Culture Provisions is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm to 9pm; 312 Petaluma Blvd. S. (Petaluma), tcprovision.com
Bijou is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Sunday from 4pm to 9pm, and for brunch on Sundays from 9am to 1pm; 190 Kentucky St. (Petaluma), opentable.com
Saint Louis' new Petaluma restaurant, Bijou(Kristy Ahumada)
