Long hours, hot kitchens and mile-long to-do lists? Owning and chefing at one restaurant is tough enough work. But for Patrice Rames, who pulls double duty at the casually elegant Bistro St. Tropez, inside the Marketplace Design Center, and Old City's French Riviera-themed Patou, it's just another day on the job.
As a young man, Rames quickly discovered his genuine passion for good food that led him to focus exclusively on a career track to become a chef. By age 15, he was already pursuing his culinary studies at the prestigious Ecole Culinare de Nice, honing his home-taught skills into more professional talents. During the next 10 years, Rames was busy traveling from kitchen to kitchen throughout France, and finally came to the U.S. to chef at three restaurants in Chicago.
After a brief stint in Houston, Rames settled in Philadelphia, a moment he recalls as "love at first sight."
Determined to bring the hearty, flavorful cuisine of his native Provence - think coq au vin, bouillabaisse and cassoulet - to Philadelphia diners, the 25-year-old chef opened Bistro St. Tropez (2400 Market St., 215.569.9269) in 1987, a restaurant that has since garnered critical acclaim from Zagat's Top 40 Restaurants and Top Restaurants in America.
In 2004, he opened Patou (312 Market St., 215.928.2987). His restaurant concept was based upon recollections of his childhood summers spent on the glorious beaches of St. Tropez with a French Mediterranean menu to match.
The veteran chef/restaurateur still enjoys his twice-annual visits back to his family in his native France where he spends time working on new recipes to bring back for our city's dining pleasure.
TC: What situation led you to become a chef?
PR: My family, my aunt, in particular, who was an excellent cook. She always impressed me with her specialty dishes like lamb-stuffed ravioli. A few years later, at age 14, I worked part time at an ice cream and pastry shop at the beach. I had to get up at 4am every day, but I came to love baking and talking to all the customers. Then my desire to travel was very strong in me as a young man. It was a combination of all those things.
TC: What do you find most challenging about being a chef/owner in a foodie-populated town like Philadelphia?
PR: Everyone has their own style of cooking, which is interesting and challenging, but we all have to also pay attention to and sometimes adapt to trends in food and dining, like, right now, tapas or "small plates." But we shouldn't all resort to offering food that doesn't fit us. As chefs, we've also had to learn to deconstruct traditional and classic dishes like bouillabaisse. As an owner, I find that with so many restaurants in the city nowadays that it's difficult to find professional food-industry personnel whether you're looking for good line cooks or wait staff. It's because the demand is higher than ever before for such people.
TC: What are your signatures, respectively, at Bistro St. Tropez and Patou?
PR: Honestly, I don't really have any singular signature dishes. At both of my restaurants, I serve French "comfort food" with a lot of braising dishes, familiar recipes that French people would actually grow up with. You know, all the classics of French cooking. I only alter the techniques slightly from restaurant to restaurant, I'd leave the meat bone in for diners at Bistro St. Tropez and I'd offer the French center cut without the bone at Patou. But the techniques for making things like stock remain the same.
TC: Where do you go out to eat on your day off?
PR: Lately, I don't go out at all because I have two restaurants to manage. On my one day a week off, I like to cook at home - the simplest of dishes - a steak, South Jersey tomatoes, good French bread and a hearty red wine. I've always enjoyed dining at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse - such quality for the price-point. I have a tremendous amount of respect for chef Jean-Marie Lacroix. White Dog Cafe is good for cocktails and bar food.
TC: What does the restaurant scene need in the city that it still doesn't have?
PR: We're in good shape - we've such a great variety of restaurants and chefs. Philadelphia has really come a long way with cooking. We also have so many good chefs, some of the tops in the nation. I really enjoy the development of the al fresco dining. It's so European. The streets are even cleaner these days, which is perfect for all the liveliness and energy among diners. One thing that the city could improve is the whole situation of parking issues and valet services.
TC: What have you done to distinguish your restaurants from others around the city?
PR: I initiated a valued customer-award program. It's been my most successful marketing campaign. We issue diners a card, they accumulate awards, at either or both restaurants, and they get three-course dinners for $30, drink specials and discounts at the bar and lounge and other free incentives. It's been a lot of fun for our patrons.
