A new "farm to table" inn has just opened in the historic Château de Saint-Vrain estate in Essonne. Chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly have teamed up with the Mortemart family, owners of the place, to offer their guests a magnificent bubble of greenery a few kilometers from Paris. From the architecture to the plate, Le Doyenné celebrates tradition and craftsmanship.
Owned by the Mortemart family for two centuries, the Château de Saint-Vrain has always welcomed prestigious guests within its walls. Country house of the Comtesse du Barry then of the Borghese family, workshop of Nikki de Saint-Phalle and Tinguely, the places adapt to their time and today offer a vegetable farm, a restaurant with forty seats and eleven guest rooms. Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly have joined forces with the owners to transform the outbuildings of the estate and realize their dream of an agricultural, gastronomic and hotel project.
The Place
The entire project revolves around a sustainable environmental approach: favoring short circuits, limiting consumption and respecting the local architectural heritage. The renovation of buildings is no exception to this principle. The architecture of the building was entrusted to the Cigüe and 1024 agencies, while the interiors were entirely designed by the Doyenné team, which called on the know-how of local craftsmen. The exposed framework has been completely restored, the old materials reused, all the antique furniture and the new equipment meet environmental standards. The rustic style and the contemporary volumes come together in perfect balance and result in an elegant and intimate atmosphere.
The Restaurant
The dining room offers a panoramic view of the vegetable garden, the heart of the project. The large bay windows allow you to eat while contemplating the vegetable crops, the young fruit trees and the alleys of flowers blooming to the rhythm of the seasons. The menus are elaborated each day according to the morning harvest, and embellished with fresh products sourced as closely and as accurately as possible; meat, dairy products and wines come from suppliers who share the same agricultural ideals as the Doyenné. And for the sake of transparency and conviviality, you can also admire the chefs at work via the large kitchen open to the dining room.
"The garden is the soul of our kitchen. Our approach to gastronomy closely links cuisine and nature, reflects the terroir of origin and respect for the rhythm of the seasons.."
The Farm
James Henry and Shaun Kelly have brought the castle's historic vegetable garden back to life by applying the principles of regenerative agriculture, which helped restore the fertility of its soil after half a century of inactivity. Since 2017, they lovingly cultivate a hundred old varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. Throughout the duration of the work, they even supplied major restaurants in the capital.
The chefs' approach aims to produce high-tasting and nutritious food with a low carbon footprint, and to leave a rich land behind. They join a new generation of chefs keen to participate in a new economic and societal model.
Le Doyenné
5 rue St Antoine 91770 Saint-Vrain - +33 (0)6 58 80 25 18
Open Thursday and Friday evening - Saturday noon and evening - Sunday noon
Menu lunch 45 euros - diner 80 euros
pictures credit © luke burgess
