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Many kids can’t let their foods ‘touch,’ let alone get mixed on the plate. But that pet peeve doesn’t start most of us on a cooking career. With the words of his mother ringing in his ears—‘then make it yourself’—Stephane Ohayon started doing just that. His family’s traditional 13-dessert Christmas meal and two-month-summer vacations filled with food also left a lasting impression.

Growing up in Provence seems ideal. But from the moment Stephane tuned into Starsky & Hutch, his main mission became making it to America. "Big streets, big cars, everything was big, big, big," laughs Stephane. "I knew I didn’t belong in a small village above Cannes." At 16, he worked in his father’s restaurant Discreto. "I got in touch with what a real kitchen is all about and found it to be fun."

Stephane’s parents promised that if he passed his baccalaureate (high school test), he could go on a Club Med vacation. He chose Morocco. Deciding he wanted to stay, he fabricated experience and got hired as a fitness instructor with Club Med, starting work on his fourth day of vacation and staying for six months.

Returning to France, he entered the University of Nice, studying to be a policeman, only to abandon it after one semester. "The Civil Code is huge; there is so much to read. I’m not good with learning from books," explains Stephane. "I learn through watching and repeating." He switched to the Montpellier International School of Business in Provence and graduated with a diploma in European Economics and Commerce.

During summer break at Montpellier, Stephane took an internship with an international shipping company in Florida. His love of America came roaring (like Starsky & Hutch) back. Three weeks after graduating, he moved to Florida. Signing up at Nova Southeastern University, he was able to work with his student visa. He acted as valet at a country club, then worked as a busser in a French restaurant. Over the next several years, he worked in a number of small restaurants, learning the culture and picking up skills.

At 22, France called him back to serve in the Army. He became a driver for the camp commandant and was an elite sharp shooter (sniper), able to hit a target at 300-400 meters. A week after leaving the Army, he returned to the States and continued his restaurant work.

Moving to Houston, he worked in an Italian restaurant for two years, rising from server to manager. During his six years in Houston, he met and married a Canadian who was working in the U.S. At one point, he opened a cigar shop, later selling it. In 1998, they moved to Denver. A high-end restaurant hired him as a manager, then promoted him to general manager. "I learned a lot in the kitchen from the chef/owner. I spent more time in the kitchen than on the floor," laughs Stephane. "I learned how to run a commercial kitchen."

Eventually he left to work at a steakhouse, working as a server, head trainer and captain. He learned how to cook steaks and sides and avoid waste in the kitchen. He moved on to a club/restaurant but hours were late and he had a son, Reis, to think about. After a trip to visit family in France, a friend offered a job at Morton’s. He worked there for 3-4 years, ending up as a captain. He transferred to Portland, Oregon, with Morton’s and moved the family. An expected promotion didn’t materialize and he quit. After seven years, he and his wife divorced.

Eight months after his divorce he met Jaci Edelen, a law student studying immigration. While visiting Costa Rica, Stephane answered an ad for Teatro Zinzanni. He got the job and they moved to Seattle. Eventually he became the general manager in charge of all aspects. "Being at Teatro Zinzanni made me start thinking about having my own restaurant again," says Stephane. He left in November of 2006.

"I kept seeing this place on Stewart," he recalls. "The décor was ugly and it was used as storage." After numerous meetings with the owner, he signed a lease in February. With basically no budget and friends saying "you’re crazy," he and Jaci put their hearts into cleaning and redecorating. They opened on March 31, 2007, tightening bolts as the first people entered.

Along with his own recipes, Stephane has a book his grandmother made for him in 1998, filled with her recipes in her handwriting. "I want my food to be simple and tasteful; I don’t want to create a foam or prepare a juniper reduction. I make simple food that tastes good. French people come in and ask how I make it taste like it does at home. It isn’t easy because everything is different here—the flour, water, soil, oils, milk."

After all the years of struggling to find his place, Stephane is home. "I know this is what I’m supposed to do." With Jaci at his side as business/life partner (and lawyer) and Reis, 5, loving to cook in the kitchen with his dad, all is well. And Seattle has a small jewel of a restaurant to add to its crown.

Connie Adams/September 2007

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