Front of the House: La Toque

Ken Frank’s , a landmark Napa Valley restaurant and recipient of a coveted Michelin Star, moved to the new in September 2008. Adjacent to the , La Toque is an integral part of the new Napa scene.

Julie: What is the first thing you want people to notice when they walk into the restaurant?

Ken: A warm welcome, an elegant dining room, an immaculate kitchen and a happy bustling staff.

Julie: I believe Scott Tracy, your sommelier, has been with you since you brought La Toque to Napa Valley. Is that correct? How does his visibility contribute to the experience you want to create?

Ken: Scott retired from every-night duty on the floor this past spring to concentrate on his wine label, Poem Cellars, but he’s still around a lot. He was instrumental in building the great wine program we are known for, especially the focus on pairing the perfect wines with every course. No one tops us there, and it’s central to the special experience that we offer. We’d been grooming Roland Micu to fill his shoes for some time and he just took “Top New Somm” honors for the West Coast and will compete in the National finals soon. He’s done a great job taking the baton from Scott.

Julie:  Where are you from originally?

Ken: I’m third-generation Southern California, raised in the same house my Dad was raised in, but I moved here in 1998 because this is such a great place to live and work.

Julie: Wasn’t La Toque first opened in Los Angeles?

Ken: I opened the original La Toque on Sunset Strip in 1979, just before my 24^th birthday.

Julie: You came to Napa Valley before the influx of many of the big name chefs. How has their arrival enhanced or challenged your business?

Ken: The rising tide lifts all boats. Morimoto could have gone anywhere he wanted, and he chose downtown Napa.

Julie: How much of your business is local, and how important are locals to you?

Ken: Without the tourists, Napa would never support the great restaurant community it has. But the locals generate the buzz and get us through the winter every year. The wine industry is king here, and it is very restaurant-friendly.

Julie: Do most guests at the hotel end up dining at La Toque?

Ken: If we don’t get them in La Toque, we end up capturing them in BANK, the more casual side of my Michelin-starred kitchen.

Julie: How has the move from upvalley impacted your business and the way you choose to present yourself?

Ken: We moved down to Napa at exactly the right time. It turned out to be the wrong time to move anything, given the economy, but we weathered that transition and Napa is really thriving now. I knew it was coming, but it was even faster than any of us thought possible.

Julie: As chef and proprietor, do you try to interact with diners?

Ken:  Absolutely, first and foremost it’s a people business. We all get great personal satisfaction from giving our guests a good time and welcoming them to our “home”.