Dear Patrons,

My name is Hadrien and I’d like to take a moment to properly introduce myself. Yes, Hadrien like the wall— my father named me not after the emperor himself but rather after a book about the Roman emperor “Mémoire d’Hadrien” by Belgian author Marguerite Yourcenar, the first woman elected to the Académie française in Paris.

Like Yourcenar my father too was a writer, and professor of philosophy in Belgium, writing mostly about art political philosophy, and had an emphasis on Spinoza. I moved quite a bit growing up, spending some years in Brussels, Paris, as well as Toronto before I moved to California with my mother years ago. California, as we all know, is a wonderful place to live. It’s been over twenty years now that I’ve worked in restaurants.

My formative years were in San Francisco where I had the pleasure of working with some very talented chefs including Michelin starred restaurants. How beautiful it was for me to see the care, dedication and art that goes into perfecting the craft.

While studying at UCSD,

I started to work for Jean Michel and Sylvie at Tapenade restaurant where I truly began my journey into French cuisine.

And now, I’ve had the pleasure of being Maître d’ at Bistro du Marché since 2015.

Families and friends coming together is a driving force of joy. It’s an absolute pleasure to be a part of these daily celebrations of life, where I get the privilege of sharing, talking, and laughing with all of you. Certain challenges aside, my job consists of the very best things in life; the clinking of glasses, rooms filled with laughter, that couple that just got engaged or the smell of garlic or truffle or old red wine.

Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to share with you all these wonderful moments in life. Cheers to all the wonderful years that have come before, and to all the years ahead. I will continue to pursue my passion and respect for all sides of the culinary experience.