After almost a decade of operating Bergerac in SE Portland, husband and wife team Gisella and Joris Barbaray have opened a new fungi-focused French restaurant. Chantrel debuted in West Linn in mid-July with a menu of bistro classics made with locally farmed and foraged produce.
The Barbarays acquired the lease on the building that now hosts Chantrel in January 2024, when it was still operating as a restaurant called Allium. For the first few months, they continued operations as the original restaurant while trying to figure out whether they would open a second Bergerac location in the space or try something new. The concept for Chantrel takes inspiration from the mushroom-themed dinners that Bergerac has hosted for the last six years. The dinners pair wine, mushroom dishes, and mushroom cocktails with a talk from local mushroom expert Rachel Zoller of Yellow Eleanor. “People love mushrooms or hate mushrooms,” Gisella says. “But there’s a lot of people that love mushrooms.”
Interior of Chantrel.
Chantrel
Borrowing a name from the chanterelle mushroom, albeit spelled differently, Chantrel serves locally sourced mushrooms in different formats across the menu including pickled mushrooms, beer-battered and friend lion’s mane mushrooms, and a maitake risotto. The restaurant sources farmed mushrooms from Oregon City, and partners with Wild Foragers for its other fungi. The same ethos extends to the rest of the menu with lamb from a farmer in Canby, and Pacific dulse seaweed from Garibaldi.
In addition to the fungi-filled choices, find dishes like burrata with sun-dried tomato cream, a charcuterie board, and duck confit for dinner. Lunch and brunch offers more daytime-focused options including a mushroom omelet, French toast, and a burger with fries. Wine and cocktails are also available to pair. As the seasons change, so will the dishes at Chantrel. Fall in Oregon promises a bounty of new fungi that will inform the next iteration of the menu.
The couple’s approach to Chantrel and Bergerac comes from a long history of working in hospitality. Before moving to the United States, Joris worked as a chef in Spain, France, and London, while Gisella worked at her family’s catering company and delicatessen while she was a teenager. Both immersed in Europe’s food culture, they wanted to bring the feeling of a local bistro stateside.
Looking forward, the Barbarays are planning on building out a small market within Chantrel to offer local wines, pre-made meals, and mushroom products. At a time when the restaurant industry is becoming increasingly difficult due to the rising costs of doing business and the continuing effects of the pandemic, Gisella and Joris Barbaray are committed to bringing their vision to life. “It’s been a hard year I think for everybody,” Gisella says. “So you just have to kind of go onwards and upwards.”
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