There’s a popular saying in France that goes,
”
Impossible n’est pas fran
çais,
”
or
”
Impossible is not French.
”
Napoleon Bonaparte coined the phrase in the early 1800s in
reference to his armies, but it’s still applicable today in summing
up the French attitude towards life in general.
Hollister – There’s a popular saying in France that goes, “Impossible n’est pas français,” or “Impossible is not French.” Napoleon Bonaparte coined the phrase in the early 1800s in reference to his armies, but it’s still applicable today in summing up the French attitude towards life in general.
So while the idea of a successful new French bistro in a small California town like Hollister may seem far-fetched, it’s not impossible. After all, impossible n’est pas français.
“When you drive through Hollister and you see all these empty buildings, you say, ‘Oh my God, where are all my customers going to come from?'” says Christine Richard, 49, who opened Bistro 427 on San Benito Street two weeks ago with her husband Francis and son Christophe. “But it was an adventure to come here (to Hollister), because we didn’t know what to expect. It was an adventure, but it was a pleasant adventure.”
Serving up real French cuisine in Hollister meant uncharted waters in more ways than one for the Richard family. Originally from Normandy, the Richards moved to California 15 years ago, eager to continue exploring the world after a five-year stint in Spain. But when Jacques Chirac chose not to side with the United States on the war in Iraq a few years ago, the American sentiment towards the French suddenly changed. Once glazed over with thoughts of champagne, the Eiffel Tower and the poetry of Baudelaire, Americans’ perception of France became slightly less romantic and considerably more resentful.
So when the Richard family, then based in the Walnut Creek area, began searching for a location for a new French restaurant in the Tres Pinos/Hollister area, they were understandably wary.
“We were going to call the restaurant something like Chez Nous (Our Home), but we didn’t know what people would think. People wanted ‘Freedom onion soup,’ not French onion soup,” Richard says.
But there was no getting around the family’s need to bring real crêpes and galettes to the people of San Benito County. Richard’s family had been in the restaurant business back home for over 130 years, and she spent her childhood in the kitchen with her grandmother while she cooked for the likes of Gerard Depardieu and Charles De Gaulle.
“I grew up around restaurants; I was born into it,” Richard says. “So when we came here, it was an adventure, but we said, ‘What do we have to lose?'”
After two months in Hollister and only two weeks in business, the Richards have already managed to allay any fears they may have had about the town’s acceptance of a tiny piece of French culture right in the middle of downtown Hollister. They’ve created “a real, authentic family business, where you are welcome whether you’re wearing shorts or a suit,” says Richard. But at the same time, Bistro 427’s plush interior and intricate menu are reminiscent of the restaurants and brasseries in the best quarters of Paris.
“You can’t please everyone, but people seem to really like us. People are coming back, so that’s a good sign, and there’s also very good word of mouth,” says Richard, who has begun seeing guests sent in by Calera and Pietra Santa wineries, and will soon carry the local wines at the bistro. “People are coming back, and we hope it stays that way.”
And, whether you’re a French cuisine novice or a connoisseur, Bistro 427 may just be the place you keep coming back to for cross-cultural down-time, an escape where you can mix a certain joie de vivre, the inherent French knowledge of how to relax and enjoy life, with the kind of hectic schedule that typifies American life. It’s a place where you can get the best of both worlds – or, perhaps, the best of both cultures.
“People here are so busy. They get up at six in the morning to go to work and they come home late. It’s not like in France where you can sit at a cafe and make friends with the people sitting next to you,” says Richard. “But you know the truth is, we love it here. If we were to move back to France, I think we would have a hard time readjusting.”
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at
jq*****@fr***********.com
.
