Leon Bierbaum, owner of Chez Leon in Clayton, is feeling a bit of joie de vivre today as he announced the hiring of Marcel Keraval as executive chef. Keraval is known for his restaurant Café de France, which had a 23-year run, first downtown and later in Clayton.
“He’s very fluent in classic French cooking. It seemed to be a perfect fit,” stated Bierbaum, adding that he and Keraval go back 15 years to when Bierbaum waited tables at Café de France’s downtown location.
Keraval’s first day at the Clayton restaurant was yesterday, when he assisted Bierbaum with the preparation of a private dinner for a Saint Louis Symphony charitable event. According to Bierbaum, diners gave high regards to the meal, especially to Keraval’s stuffed quail and steamed trout served with both a nantua sauce and a leek sauce.
Next up for Keraval? “He’s looking at the recipes we have,” Bierbaum stated. “There will be some fine-tuning and tinkering.” As for Bierbaum, he is “pleased to see the staff working well with [Keraval] in just the last couple days.”
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This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2010.