Bernard Bouissou was raised in the South of France where his culinary apprenticeship began. In The U.S. he has had 15 years of cooking experience, starting his career here working under Chef Daniel Boulud at Le Plaza Athenee and Le Cirque Restaurants in New York. Bernard went on to be Sous Chef at Le Cygne and then Banquet Chef at Tavern on the Green for five years. After that he was the Executive Chef at La Panetiere in Rye, New York for 5 years.

Sarah began her cooking career at Claude's Hohokus Inn in New Jersey, after which she studied in Vichy, France then on to Le Cirque (Where she and Bernard met), and Rakel's under Chef Thomas Keller in New York. Sarah opened a high-end catering business in New York, which is now flourishing in the metropolitan tri-state area. 

Bernard's opened March 2000!

Celebrating Bernard's 10th anniversary, Bernard and Sarah still have the synergy that they had when working side by side in the kitchen, but have made a few changes to keep things fresh and new. In November of 2008 they opened up a more casual restaurant upstairs @ Bernard's - Sarah's Wine Bar - which features a more casual setting, with No reservations, small plates as well as large and a $25 Special Wine list. There is music almost every night of the week and feature a different local artist's work every 4 months. It is a fun and lively atmosphere - come check it out!

Bernard also supplies 109 Cheese Market- a local cheese store with an array of wonderful take home foods. Including frozen hors d'oeuvres, flatbread pizzas, homemade pates, foie gras mousse, all of his sauces, stocks and his Famous Smoked Salmon & Trout. The address is 109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield.

Sarah runs the front of the house duties and greets their customers both at Bernard's and Sarah's Wine Bar while Bernard is still cooking away in the kitchen! They are still getting rave reviews with a 2009 Zagat rating of 27-25-26 and the 2009 Best of Award of Excellence from the Wine Spectator for their outstanding wine list.

This July 14th (Bastille Day) they will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary! They have 4 fabulous daughters (all that hostess at the restaurant) and they continue to love living, working and raising their family in Ridgefield.

Photo by Bruce Plotkin