Fifi's Best "Restaurateur Louis Laulhere Found His Way to OC Gradually"

Louis Laulhere is a person who has lived his life with a great deal of grace. Having met several of his lifelong friends myself, it seems he has always been imbued with a sense of doing well for his fellowman and giving so much more than he ever took from life. No wonder his customers adore him and he literally loves them in return. When one speaks of a kind heart, his name comes to mind for me. It’s as if he was born to be in the restaurant industry, the service enterprise that begs like no other for people with the right attitude.

Louis was born in a small village named Pau in the southwest of France. He had his first encounter with commercial food world at the age of 13 when he went to work carrying bags of flour for the local baker. He and his family, who owned a small farm, were struggling to survive the chaos of the Second World War. In a short while, he became a kitchen helper at the Hotel de France in his hometown, and then, not long after that a busboy. He admits to feeling at home in the service profession almost immediately.

The next step was working at the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, England. Let’s not forget that those were the days when it was not uncommon to work double shifts every day. The stamina it took to do that either strengthened your resolve or broke your spirit. Louis felt at home and couldn’t imagine ding anything else.

It was while working in England, and having grasped enough of the language to feel adventurous once again, that he and a good friend decided to go to Canada. Landing in Montreal with only a few dollars in his pocket, he found a job in one of the upscale hotels. He stayed in Canada until 1960, the year he went to New York, a city with plenty of French restaurants. He joined ARA, a professional restaurant management firm, which led to a stint as manger of Philharmonic Café at Lincoln Center. He had the maturity to realize how lucky he was to be there. The poor farm kid from France was now mingling with the world’s great musicians, dancers and conductors.

He worked for Management Company for 13 years in New York and then transferred to Chicago to take on the task of directing all food operations at the John Hancook Center, then the world’s tallest building and a famous attraction. It was Louis who culled the best crew he could find to open the 95th, the restaurant with the lofty perch above the city that became world famous.

After several years in Chicago, he moved to Las Vegas as vice president and manager of all food service at the convention center. In 1981, some of the compatriots at ARA opened another company and asked Louis to be the managing director of The Club at Citicorp Center. However, that was in New York, so it was pack and move time again. He stayed a couple of years before being tapped to create a fine French restaurant in the new, prestigious Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The result was The French Room. It was the restaurant that launched Dallas as a serious culinary city. Louis waxes nostalgic when describing the beauty of that restaurant and the hotel.

Everybody eventually visits California, don’t they? He did and met the Segerstroms, who introduced him to La Vie En Rose in Brea, the restaurant they’d built as a replica of a Normandy style farmhouse. Given his farm background and the comforting ambiance of this building, Louis knew he had walked into his dream. This was exactly the kind of restaurant he’d envisioned owning one day. The Segerstroms sold the restaurant to Louis and that is when I met him.

I have watched him sooth the soul of so many diners over the years as hands-on restaurateur. He introduced his customers to delicacies like escargots, foie gras and sweetbreads when we scarcely knew what they were, let alone being courageous enough to order them. He used to bring small tastes of those things to your table so that you could try them and he’d share with the guest the French traditions behind those foods. Of course, once the free tastes proved how delicious these things were, they became big sellers.

Louis has put together all the components that meld into a fine restaurant. Consequently, diners from as far away as Florida and New York, not to mention Canada and France, and a Southern California contingent of French people as well, have become the most loyal of customers. They’ve found the real thing and they honor it and themselves by enjoying it. My own heart is always so happy when I am in La Vie En Rose. Simply put, it is an exquisite package. I love France in all its facets at this restaurant.

This country is more than lucky to have La Vie En Rose and Louis Laulhere. Louis could have settled anywhere and been successful, but he stayed here. Because he lives from the heart in everything he does (including much community services). Because he is the epitome of what the service industry is all about, because he is an ongoing vision of perfection that always ensures a fine experience for his customers, it was easy for me to make this choice to honor him as my Restaurateur of the Year.