Carly Hackbarth
It’s been a journey from child refugee in Nigeria to bistro chef in Lafayette, but Paul Magu-Lecugy has made it look as smooth as his chilled vichyssoise. The classically trained French chef was adopted at age 2 by Parisian diplomats. When he was a teenager, his family returned to Paris, and he worked his way through culinary school and climbed the ranks of French fine dining before landing a job at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, where he met his wife, Laura. The couple moved to the East Bay to raise a family, and in 2016, they opened Rêve Bistro in Lafayette. Today, Paul, Laura, and their three daughters live in Concord, and earlier this year, the eatery celebrated its 10th anniversary.
“I see [French cuisine] as simple yet refined, seasonal, everyday food. It’s a cuisine that allows the ingredients to shine.”—Paul Magu-LecugyQ: What inspired you to open Rêve?
A: It had always been my dream to have my own restaurant. Our vision was the closest thing to a French bistro in Paris. When this location became available, we knew it was the spot. We loved the garden and the closeness to downtown and the neighborhoods.
Q: French cuisine can be seen as fancy or stuffy in the United States. Is that fair?
A: I think that’s a leftover attitude from the 1970s and ’80s when the U.S. was first learning about French cuisine. I see it as simple yet refined, seasonal, everyday food. It’s a cuisine that allows the ingredients to shine.
Q: Are there any dishes that have been challenging to introduce here?
A: At first, I was nervous to put dishes like veal kidneys or rabbit on the menu—things that are popular in France but you don’t see in the Bay Area. I’ve found that there are people who love these items here too, and they trust that my team and I do them well. We have guests who travel from an hour away just to have our sweetbreads.
Q: Have you passed on your cooking skills to your children?
A: All of my girls have learned to cook, but my middle daughter, Coco, is the most interested. She’s been working in the kitchen since she was 12. The other two also work at Rêve, but in the front of the house.
Q: What are your plans for Rêve moving forward?
A: I’m trying to find more ways to engage the community of Francophiles. We’ve started a monthly French conversation lunch group. We’re also offering a summer lunch pop-up on Fridays and Saturdays through at least August. We’re calling it Summer in Provence: a casual three-course prix fixe of salad, steak frites, and profiteroles for dessert. Add a glass of rosé and enjoy.
Dining and Cooking