July 14 marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a Paris prison that evolved from a 1300s fortification to protect the city’s eastern walls. By the 1700s, it had become a hated symbol of France’s absolute monarchy. On July 14, 1789, revolutionaries seeking gunpowder to defend themselves stormed the Bastille, an event that became the defining symbol of the French Revolution.
Since then, July 14 has been celebrated in France as La Fête Nationale, commemorating the unity of the French people. English speakers, however, call it Bastille Day. Very little remains of the Bastille in today’s Paris, although its location is marked by a monument.
Appropriately, several area restaurants known for their French-influenced cuisine frame mid-July menus and celebrations around Bastille Day. Most fitting, perhaps, is La Bastille 2026 the fundraising effort set for July 16 through 18 by EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, which provides culinary education, reentry support and second chances for individuals returning from incarceration.
Its founder, CEO and president, Brandon Chrostowski, pioneered the award-winning program in 2011 at Grafton Correctional Institution in Lorain County, where he has invited other award-winning chefs to join him in preparing a multi-course dinner in the prison’s courtyard on July 16. Participants include Andrew Zimmern, Michel Nischan, JJ Johnson and other celebrated chefs whose combined careers include more than 15 James Beard Awards. The sold-out meal, which honors the EDWINS program’s origins, will include hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by the Grafton Class of 2026.
Chef Brandon Chrostowski of the Cleveland Heights-based EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute works with those incarcerated at Grafton Correctional Institution to teach culinary skills that will serve them when they’re released. (Courtesy of EDWINS)
The celebration moves to the Chef’s Garden in Huron on July 17, where an intimate dinner set among the fields during the height of the summer harvest will highlight the connection among farmers, chefs and the table. The Chef’s Garden is known for growing healthy vegetables and microgreens for chefs from throughout the world. Participating Bastille Day chefs include Doug Katz (Zhug, Amba, Kiln and Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art); Mona Sang (co-founder of Khmai Fine Dining in Chicago); Justin Pioche (James Beard Award finalist and Navajo native); the aforementioned Nischan (four-time James Beard Award winner); Jamie Simpson (executive chef liaison at The Chef’s Garden and The Culinary Vegetable Institute) and Chrostowski.
The main celebration takes place in Cleveland Heights on July 18 at EDWINS, 12383 Cedar Road, where a strolling dinner, cocktails, live music and silent auction will be followed by an after-party.
Tickets, which sold for $175 to $295 per person, have long been sold out. (For info about possible cancellations, visit edwinsrestaurant.org.)
Proceeds benefit EDWINS’ mission of giving formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the culinary and hospitality industries to assure their long-term success. The program combines rigorous culinary training with housing, employment placement, legal services and life-skills support. EDWINS graduates nearly 100 students each year, with a 95% employment rate and less than 1% recidivism, according to the organization.
Meanwhile, in Moreland Hills, Cru Uncorked will celebrate Bastille Day with classic French dishes and wine experiences from July 14 to 18.
Its five-course Bastille Celebration Tasting Menu, to be offered each day ($125 per person), will include classics such as French onion soup, coq au vin, steak frites with a cognac sauce and cherry clafoutis. Optional wine pairings, at $75 per person, will elevate the experience. There may be additions and variations depending on what’s best and freshest from markets and greenhouses.
July 16 will also feature Sommeliers vs. Staff: Bastille Edition ($250 per guest), Cru’s signature interactive dinner where guests enjoy a four- to five-course meal with six to 10 blind wine pairings as the restaurant’s sommeliers and service team compete head-to-head in pairing challenges. Guests cast their votes throughout the evening to determine this year’s champion.
Cru Uncorked is at 34300 Chagrin Blvd. To reserve a seat, visit cruuncorked.com.
Dining and Cooking