French cuisine has been the backbone of modern flavors and techniques for decades, but a new wave of restaurants is starting to color outside the lines and push boundaries while still keeping tradition and classic principles in mind.
In 1651, François Pierre La Varenne published Le Cuisinier François, the first French cookbook, inspiring French cuisine to expand beyond the country’s borders as chefs worldwide studied these published recipes. In 1903, Georges Auguste Escoffier, known as the “king of chefs,” brought “haute cuisine” to the modern world, a style of French cooking renowned for its technique and precision.
Not much has changed since then. French flavors and techniques have stood the test of time, creating a blueprint for today’s chefs. The question now is: What does the next generation of French cuisine look like, especially in the U.S.?
Pastis, a Parisian-style brasserie with locations in New York City, Miami, Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach, defines its brand as traditional French fare with a newly invigorated soul. Led by renowned restaurateur Stephen Starr, the four-unit concept prides itself on transporting guests to a classic Parisian brasserie.
Executive chef Jose Diaz, who has 15 years of experience working with French cuisine, began his career in the U.K. before settling in Miami with Pastis. His cooking style revolves around using French techniques as a foundation while experimenting with different ingredients.
“Pastis is in between classic and contemporary French cuisine. We try not to focus solely on the traditional dishes,” Diaz says. “We take ideas from the classics and then turn them into our own with little twists.”
This balance between textbook and progressive shows up on the Pastis menu in dishes like French onion soup, escargots, tuna carpaccio, and warm shrimp salad. Adventurous entrée offerings include lobster frites with garlic-herb butter, lamb navarin with seasonal vegetables, and a steak sandwich with onions, Gruyère, and aioli.
Creativity also shines through Pastis’ cocktail program, which features innovative twists on traditional drinks. Standouts include The Eiffel Sour, Le Dirty Martini, and Le Petit Pickle, a mix of Belvedere vodka, house brine, and pickled vegetables. The Rouge Fumée combines Banhez mezcal, tequila blanco, watermelon, espelette pepper, and honey.
Though the modern evolution of French cuisine is a delicate topic for Diaz, he emphasizes that while the Pastis menu is constantly changing with the seasons and local flavors, it’s important not to lose the classical Parisian influence.
“The next generation of French cuisine is an interesting intersection of cultures because you cannot stray too far from the classics without losing the essence of French cuisine,” Diaz says. “To me, this essence means you’re keeping traditions in mind through your techniques while incorporating twists with new ingredients.”
At Bread & Butterfly in Atlanta, executive chef Demetrius Brown pushes boundaries with a dinner service that explores cuisine through the lens of the African Diaspora—a fusion of French, Caribbean, and Afro-American culture.
Born into a Trinidadian and Jamaican family, Brown is passionate about teaching others the French influence on Africa and the Caribbean through his cooking. He blends ingredients from these regions with French techniques like slow poaching and sous vide.
“At first, we got a lot of pushback because we aren’t your typical French restaurant,” Brown says. “It took people coming in and trying the food to fall in love with it and see the connections between France, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa.”
Bread & Butterfly’s menu begins with French classics like potato salad, scallops, and beef bouyon, then transitions to Caribbean influences in dishes such as the Haitian patty, made with local beef, puff pastry, tamarind, and peppers. The Poulet Mafe features roasted chicken, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and plantains. The gumbo and beignets de banane masterfully blend all three cultures, using ingredients like papaya, coconut custard, blue lump crab, and crispy okra.
“I also make a grilled quail, which everyone knows is super French. But in this case, I rub it in a Berbere (Ethiopian) spice and cook it on a yakitori grill,” Brown says. “I’m always asking myself what the best way is to integrate my background and culture with a traditional French restaurant.”
Like Pastis, Bread & Butterfly’s beverage program showcases globally inspired flavors. The Maduro Old Fashioned features a Caribbean twist, with plantain-infused Ten to One Spiced Rum, Giffard Banana Liqueur, and HooDoo Chicory Liqueur. The Bare Bone Espresso Martini pays homage to the original French drink, with Bare Bone vodka, Borghetti liqueur, fresh espresso, and maple.
“We wanted to start by bringing as many Black producers as possible into our beverage program,” Brown adds. “We use rum that’s grown, bottled, and distributed from Haiti. Then, we try to minimize waste in the kitchen by taking ingredients we already have and moving them into our drink menu, like the rum-infused plantain skins we use for our Maduro.”
French cuisine emphasizes hyper-local, seasonal food—a principle Brown also finds in Afro-Caribbean cuisine. At Bread & Butterfly, he works with local farmers around Atlanta to create a sustainable and responsibly sourced concept.
Ultimately, Brown wants to keep breaking down barriers and reimagining traditional recipes, seamlessly integrating his heritage with French cuisine and techniques. While coloring outside the lines may be challenging, he has an eye for innovation. “This will be my only Bread & Butterfly location forever, but I want to be nominated and win James Beard awards or be mentioned in the Michelin Guide this coming year,” Brown says.
“We want to be known as a restaurant that takes risks and pushes the boundaries of food and culture in Atlanta. There’s enough food that’s good for just being good, but we want to tell a story and be at the forefront of French and Afro-Caribbean cuisine,” he adds.