Napa French Laundry owner slams affordable housing plan

The owner of French Laundry has successfully halted a large affordable housing project that was planned near the Michelin-starred restaurant in Napa Valley.

Thomas Keller showed up to a Yountville Town Council meeting clad in his chef whites earlier this month to complain about the proposal, which he thought would put off his staff.

The famed cook complained openly about the council’s lack of communication with him.

“I have reached out to each one of you; none of you has reached out to me,” Keller said during the March 3 meeting.

“I’ve reached out to each one of you to have a conversation about this. I welcome conversations as you do. So, I’m available. Each one of you has my phone number; you know where I am every day.” 

He believed the “studio-heavy, dormitory-style approach” of the building and the lack of parking would not be attractive to workers.

The town had been planning to convert an old elementary school into an affordable housing project called the Yountville Commons.

A referendum blocking the housing project from a Yountville resident received 235 signatures, according to the Yountville Sun.

Keller previously told The Press-Democrat he supports affordable housing but that “housing only works if it actually works for the people who live and work here.”

He urged the town to “slow down and make sure the fundamentals are right.”

Yountville is a small town located in Napa Valley, California’s Wine Country region. The town is known for its wineries and for French Laundry, Keller’s restauraunt.

French Laundry has sold out all of its reservations through April 30, sans a $3,500 per plate soiree on April 25 named the “Judgment of Paris 50th Anniversary.”

The restaurant has three Michelin stars, the Michelin Guide’s highest rating. Keller is the only American-born chef with two restaurants that hold the Michelin Guide’s highest rating, per the French Laundry’s website. His other popular dining establishment is Per Se in New York City.

French Laundry said on its website that it “commits itself to serving classic French cuisine with the finest quality ingredients, along with a similarly intense focus on impeccable guest service.”

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