Chef Profile
Chef Xavier Grenet
L ’ Olivier Photos by Kitty Leaken
L’Olivier
— the lively little restaurant on the corner of Galisteo and Alameda — brings together the best of French cuisine and the famous flavors of the Southwest. Chef Xavier Grenet opened L’Olivier with his wife Nathalie in December 2013. Grenet trained at L’École Française de la Gastronomie Ferrandi in Paris and at L’École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. He has more than 20 years of experience; first in France in some of the world’s best restaurants, and later at Les Célébrités at Hotel Nikko in New York, before working his way west to the landmark restaurant Barcelona in San Francisco, where he served as executive chef. Now deeply familiar with the Southwest and its food trends, Grenet enjoys combining his French expertise with New Mexican tastes.
Who inspired you to become a chef?
What makes Santa Fe such a culinary melting pot for international cuisine?
“Beef short ribs”
“The diversity of all the people here; you have people from all over the world.”
“My grandfather. I’d sit and watch him cook when I was 8 or 9, and from that experience I decided to become a chef. I’ve always loved food as well.”
Where do you get your inspiration for your dishes?
“From everything: books, TV, going to different places and talking to different people…”
What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
“I like to work with everything, but you have to have salt and pepper.”
Every dish has its own personality. When you come, if you read the menu and can’t decide, it means the menu looks good. It’s my job to make it difficult to pick so you have to come back and try other dishes. –Chef Xavier Grenet
What is your favorite dish on the menu? What are you most proud of as a chef? “The organization I put into my work.”
L’Olivier · 229 Galisteo, Santa Fe · 505.989.1919 · www.loliviersantafe.com
L’Olivier · 229 Galisteo, Santa Fe · 505.989.1919 · www.loliviersantafe.com