To mark the global celebration of La Francophonie – honoring the French language and culture in all its forms every March – San Francisco’s KTVU paid a visit last week to Petaluma’s own Brigitte Bistro, airing a tasty food segment on its morning news program on March 18. For the live TV spot, chef Nick Ronan appeared in the kitchen of the newsroom studio.
Crissy Pascual / Petaluma Argus-Courier
Nick Ronan, chef and owner of Brigitte Bistro in Petaluma. Photographed on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Crissy Pascual / Petaluma Argus-Courier)
In his introduction, reporter Christien Kafton praised Ronan for his “signature blend of French cuisine and warm hospitality,” welcoming him to the studio with a kiss on the cheek and the genial proclamation, “He continues to bring people together through food honoring French culinary tradition with a personal touch.”
A brief video package showed Ronan at work in the Petaluma Boulevard restaurant. Petaluma ended up with its own share of praise during the segment.
“Whoever cooks with their heart is truly loving people,” said Ronan at the start of the interview, during which he demonstrated how to make Brigitte Bistro’s signature leek salad. Among the ingredients that Ronan used during the demo was a Meyer lemon and chives, which the chef made certain to note had all been grown in Petaluma.
“Petaluma has a beautiful soul,” he said, answering a question about why he selected the town for his restaurant after a career spent cooking around the world. “You have to understand. Petaluma, in Sonoma County, is magic. We have everything. Vegetables, fish, meat. Everything. It’s absolutely powerful. Magical.”
Ronan gave a special shout-out to Petaluma’s Clover Sonoma, fresh cream from which he was using in the salad’s deliciously rich-looking dressing.
“You can use nothing else but Clover,” he said.
Acknowledging the strong connection French culture has to food, Ronan said, “It doesn’t have to be cultural though, it doesn’t have to be French. Whoever cooks with their heart truly loves people.”
“Good,” responded Kafton. “That gives the rest of us a shot.”
Dining and Cooking