Olivar
Capitol Hill’s European bistro
 When
you’re traveling, there’s nothing better than stumbling on an intimate
little bistro. It feels like you’ve found something no one else has
experienced. Now you can have that same feeling by heading up to Capitol
Hill and "stumbling upon" Olivar. Chef Philippe Thomelin brings his
years of experience cooking around the world to us.
At 10, Philippe began making savory crepes for dinner once a week to
help his mom with cooking for a family of seven. "It was something easy
that a kid could do. I would stuff them with whatever leftovers we had,"
he recalls.
Their Loire Valley village had a restaurant where Philippe worked at
14. "The chef was old school, but nice to me. I whipped egg whites by
hand and he would say ‘faster, faster.’ I can still whip egg whites like
that today." At 16, he entered a culinary program at Saumur. His
externship was at the Lutetia Hotel in Paris. For two months, he poached
eggs and worked the line.
After graduation, he worked at a restaurant in the French Alps. "My
dad had to sign a release so I could work. I was 17 and the legal age in
France is 18." The manager eventually put him in charge of a 46-seat
brasserie in the hotel, prepping and cooking.
For four years after school, his jobs were all seasonal. "I liked the
diversity," says Philippe. "I moved around France and worked in casual
as well as fine restaurants."
His first full-time job was in Megève at the Relais Chateau. "There
was a rotisserie in the restaurant and we cooked meats in front of
customers."
"In 1991, there were many cooks coming from culinary schools and not
enough jobs. I decided to leave France. I went to London to learn
English. I worked for a year at a French brasserie and shared a house.
After six months, I moved out of the house because I was only speaking
French. I still hadn’t learned English! My job was weekday lunches, so I
took an evening serving job." One night he served Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards as they signed a deal with Virgin Atlantic’s Richard Branson.
His next job was in Minorca, Spain. "This was a revelation to me,"
says Philippe. "I discovered Spain, the beauty of the island and the
food." The job was seasonal, but he went back twice, the second time, at
23, as chef de cuisine. "We made basic dishes, mostly European. It is
one of the most memorable places of my career."
Between seasons, Philippe and a friend visited Colorado, handing out
resumes at resorts. He found out about a program for foreign students
and was accepted two months later. In November 1993 he entered the
program. "The culture and food were another revelation to me," laughs
Philippe. He worked at the Lodge at Vail with Chef Jim Cohen, a James
Beard nominee. When his visa expired, he returned to Spain to set up his
own tapas bar. He ended up in the south of Spain, where the food and
language were very different from Minorca.
Wanting to further improve his English, Philippe returned to London
in 1998 and worked at Daphne’s. His love of Spain took him back to
Marbella and then Nerja on the Costa del Sol. "The restaurant in Nerja
overlooked the beach," says Philippe. "Fishermen came in the morning
with their catch and we’d create our dish of the day."
Having lost his mother in 1996, his sister in 2000 and seen the end
of a 5-year relationship, Philippe was due for a turnaround. In 2001, he
heard American voices on the beach and noticed a group of friends.
Coincidentally, they came into his restaurant. After dinner, he was
asked to join them. He said no, but kept thinking about the American
girl, Toni. He decided to find them. "I remember it well. It was June
21, a full moon." He had almost given up when he saw her and found she
had been looking for him. "We just clicked." She was from Seattle. In
2002, they married in the San Juan Islands. They have two daughters,
Maelle, 5, and Isabelle, 2.
He worked at Il Terrazzo Carmine as sous chef, then went to Cascadia
as sous chef. Through Kerry Sear, he learned about catering. When they
had their second child, he became a stay-at-home dad. "It was a lot of
work and eventually I needed to get out. I was hired to cater a dinner
and Olive Tree Catering was born. Word-of-mouth spread and business
grew."
 "I
had been working on a business plan for my own restaurant since 2007. It
wouldn’t have happened without Toni. I can’t say enough about what she’s
done. She even found the location. She’s always liked the Loveless
Building."
Photo: Olivar dining room
"I’m a simple guy and I like home style food. So the bistro approach
is right—affordable and not fancy. I had a lot of home cooked meals
during my years in Spain. I love that food. Produce from the garden,
simple dishes, good ingredients. Our menu is really Mediterranean, but
we call it a Spanish bistro."
For now, Philippe is concentrating on dinner, but he would like to
open for lunch as well, probably weekends first. Ultimately, he may open
seven days a week. But he’s in no hurry. Exactly as it should be for a
simple neighborhood bistro.
Connie Adams/September 2008 |
