4/20 – 70th Anniversary “Celebrating the Classics” Cooking Demo and Grand Luncheon Experience Presented by Chef Jacques’ Haeringer

Please join us on Saturday, April 20^th 2024 at 11am as Chef Jacques hosts a very special and lively cooking demo and grand luncheon experience as we celebrate our 70^th Anniversary    “Celebrating the Classics” and Honoring the Past.

Chef will guide you through some of the most well-known and customer favorite classic menu items during our lively Cooking Demo (of course sipping champagne, but of course. Learn 70 years of culinary history of Papa and Mama’s culinary journey from Washington DC to the present “French Countryside” of Great Falls.

After our cooking demo, retreat to one of our beautiful dining rooms, decorated in Alsace style, and enjoy your four-course menu as demonstrated by Chef, complete with delectable wine pairings by Paul Haeringer and our sommelier, Alex Bardsley.

Historie – Chef François Haeringer, Chez François and L’Auberge Chez François

François Haeringer was born January 6, 1919, in the Alsatian town of Obernai. As the first child born in Alsace after the region was returned to France at the end of the First World War, he received the name François. He started cooking at age 16 and worked as an apprentice in a local restaurant. Three years later, he went to Paris to work at the famed Hotel Plaza Athénée. When the Second World War started, he joined the French army and was captured by the Germans. Because of his cooking skills, he was sent to work at the Four Seasons hotel in Munich. After the war, Haeringer returned home to France, where he met his future wife Marie-Antoinette.

In 1948, Haeringer received his American immigration visa and took his new family to Washington, D.C. to work in his uncle’s restaurant. He was young and spoke no English but soon mastered both the language and the palates of Americans. He left Washington in 1950 and moved to Ketchikan, Alaska to run a hotel kitchen on the frontier. Following the birth of their first son, the family returned to Washington, D.C., where Haeringer began working at the Three Musketeers on Connecticut Ave. In 1954, he took over the restaurant, naming it Chez François. The restaurant made a name for itself, serving more than 500 meals a day to hungry Washingtonians, both famous and those who were just fans of simple, expertly prepared, classic French fare.

Today, L’Auberge Chez François is much the same as when François “Papa” first opened it. Family-run, with sons Paul in front of the house and Jacques as Executive Chef, Haeringer’s spirit infuses every aspect of the restaurant, as well as his meticulously crafted meals. He was a culinary icon in the Washington, D.C. community and he helped to set the standard for authentic French food that satisfied your appetite and your soul in a restaurant known for marriage proposals, celebrations of all kinds, and family memories.  L’Auberge Chez François is open today, and the Haeringer family will continue to run L’Auberge Chez François. As Jacques states, “Papa would have it “no other way.”

Here’s to History!

70^th Cooking Demo and Grand Luncheon Experience 

To Toast and Sip 70 years During Chef’s Cooking Demo
Belle Jardin Brut, Alsace

GRAND LUNCHEON MENU

Corbeille du Pain Bread Basket:  Multi-Grain, Sourdough, Local Butter

Papa’s Hometown Classic Alsatian Nueske Applewood Bacon and Onion Tarte Flambée
Sipp Mack, Pinot Blanc “Tradition” 2021, Alsace

La Salade de L’Auberge with Papa’s House-made Vinaigrette

Classic Alsatian Kirsch Sorbet

L’Auberge Chez François’ Classic Le Saumon Soufflé
(Debuted on our menu opening night in Great Falls, April 1976)
Norwegian Salmon, Seabass Mousse, Wilted Garden Spinach, Beurre Rouge
Mélanie Pfister, Rendez-vous en Blanc 2021, Alsace

Grand-Mère Cécile’s Kougelhopf en Neige
(Our Grandmama’s Recipe from Obernai)
Soft Caramelized Meringue with Kirsch and Tahitian Vanilla Sauce
Julius Meinl Coffee Service, Selection of Harney & Sons Fine Teas

Event Price: $170.00pp Excluding tax and gratuity for a total of $218.00

Tickets non-refundable. We are happy to accommodate dietary reactions so all may join in on our culinary experiences. Please email chezlauberge@aol.com or call 703-759-3800 with special requests.

Please remember to sign up early, as seating for our grand 70th month events is limited. If we are sold out, please call to join our wait list. Merci!

Patrons will have an opportunity to purchase these delectable wines at a very special price this afternoon.