Perry Hoffman

Chef étoile Restaurant

A Napa Valley native, Perry Hoffman literally grew up in fine dining wine country kitchens, as his grandparents, Sally and Don Schmitt were the original owners of The French Laundry in Yountville. He first became interested in cooking by helping his grandmother in the kitchen, assisting her with tasks such as making croutons, roasting bell peppers and chopping parsley.

He took his first formal restaurant job working as a pantry chef at his neighborhood restaurant at age 15. Three years later, he moved to Anderson Valley to work as a sous chef at the Boonville Hotel, where he learned to cook seasonally, sourcing produce from the restaurant’s vegetable garden. From there, Hoffman became sous chef at Santé Restaurant at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, where he remained until getting courted by Chef Robert Curry at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford in 2005. During his two years at Auberge, Hoffman helped the restaurant achieve its first Michelin star rating.

After joining the culinary team at étoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon in 2007, Hoffman was quickly appointed Chef. There he captured critical attention in 2010, as the youngest American chef to be awarded a Michelin Star at age 25. Since then, étoile has maintained one Michelin Star for three consecutive years, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Hoffman was also named a “Rising Star Chef” by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010, and was a James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for “Rising Star Chef of the Year” in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Hoffman was named one of Zagat’s “30 under 30,” and also received recognition from Food & Wine, as he was voted “The People’s Best New Chef: California.”

At étoile, Hoffman enjoys creating fresh, seasonally-changing dishes, drawing on the restaurant’s extensive gardens, located throughout the property’s 300-acre estate, which Hoffman describes as a “foragers dream of wild ingredients.” By drawing upon locally-grown resources to create étoile’s menu, “nature tells us what to cook,” he adds.  In crafting his dishes, Hoffman also pays special attention to wine pairings, yielding dishes that are balanced and harmonious. étoile’s unique position within a winery allows for daily interaction with Domaine Chandon’s winemaking team, resulting in truly innovative, wine-inspired cuisine.

Hoffman lives in Napa, Calif. Combining his passion for food with his love of the outdoors, when he is away from the kitchen he enjoys fishing and gardening.

Andre Moussalli

Sous Chef

One of five children born to German and Lebanese parents, Andre remembers a childhood in suburban Illinois where his mother was always cooking.  Andre followed his older brothers into the restaurant business; at age 15 he was washing dishes at Andria’s Countryside (where his brother was a chef) before moving up to prep and sauté cook positions.  Part of his formal culinary education at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont included a short internship in Key West, Florida where Andre honed classic French techniques under the direction of Chef Dominique Faulkner. After graduating from NECI, Andre headed west determined to cook with the incredibly fresh ingredients grown in Northern California. In early 2005 Andre started his second internship at Michelin-starred Auberge Du Soleil where he stayed on for two years. He then went on to work for a brief stint as Executive Chef at Plaza Bistro in Sonoma.  Andre has been cooking at étoile since 2008.

Matthew Fairfield

Sous Chef

Born and raised in Keene, New Hampshire, Matthew Fairfield lived in the Northeast his entire life until this opportunity at Domaine Chandon brought him out West. Matthew knew from an early age that he wanted to cook for a living, so after high school he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park. During a career fair at the end of his schooling in January 2006, Matthew spoke with a number of potential employers including Domaine Chandon. With the prospect of more temperate weather and the fresh food available in California, Matthew packed his bags for Napa Valley. He has been working in the kitchen at étoile since February 2006.

Francisco Enriquez

Pastry Chef

Francisco was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. One of eight siblings, Francisco worked away from the family home so he lived with his grandmother during the week. He was not particularly inspired by his daytime job, so he’d look forward to heading home where he could spend time at his grandmother’s side learning the art of cooking and specifically making pastries.

In early 1979, Francisco and his new bride left Mexico to start a new life in California. Three months later he started working in the kitchen at the restaurant Domaine Chandon, now called étoile. With the exception of a year’s hiatus in 2004, Francisco has worked in this kitchen since June 1979 making him one of the longest serving employees on the property. Francisco remains dedicated and inspired in his work, constantly creating new desserts and sampling “the competition” when he dines elsewhere. He also incorporates his grandmother’s recipes in his offerings that change seasonally. Years ago, he planted a Chinese Bitter Orange tree on the Domaine Chandon property with the aim of using the unique citrus flavor in his desserts. This fruit now contributes to one of étoile’s signature dishes - a bitter orange crème brûlée - designed to pair with the Chandon Extra-Dry Riche.