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experienced chef instruc- tors are up to the task, and they received some expert guidance from a fa- miliar face and a culinary legend: Walnut Hill Col- lege Master-in-Residence, Georges Perrier. Chef Per- rier’s involvement in the new restaurant is no coin- cidence—after all, it bears his name. Opening today, Wednesday, September 5, Bistro Perrier is an ode to the classic French bistro and represents the close relationship between Wal- nut Hill College and Chef


Perrier that has endured for years. A long-time friend of the college, Georges Per- rier was named Master- in-Residence in 2017 and will lead workshops for Walnut Hill College students and staff in the coming school year. He was set to start his duties last school year; however, a severe heart attack in March almost took his life and resulted in him hav- ing to undergo emergency surgery. Thankfully, Chef Perrier survived, and after months recuperat- ing, he is finally ready to return to the kitchen to


assist with preparations for a restaurant he holds dear.


In honor of the re- nowned chef, Walnut Hill College has appropriately named its new restaurant Bistro Perrier, serving French cuisine in a Euro- pean courtyard setting. Leading the staff behind the restaurant is Execu- tive Chef and Director of Culinary Operations, Todd Braley, former co- chef/owner of The Pick- led Heron in Fishtown. Chef Braley and his team have created a menu that highlights uniquely French fare, including Sal- ade Lyonnaise, Escargots en Croûte, and Steak Tar- tare, while paying hom- age to Chef Perrier with daily specials from his famed Le Bec-Fin menu. Bistro Perrier will also offer tableside service, al- lowing guests to have an entertaining and height- ened sensory experience as they watch their food being prepared by Walnut Hill College’s Hotel and Restaurant Management students.


Of course, no restaurant named after a chef of Per- rier’s caliber would be complete without a lesson from the man himself,


which is why the college’s chef instructors became students for a day as Chef Perrier taught them how to make sauces, his specialty. On Thursday, August 16, Chef Perrier presented Walnut Hill College’s first ever “ate- lier du chef,” or chef’s workshop, a pedagogical initiative designed to help the chef instructors cre- ate standardized cooking procedures to teach their students. Working side by side with Chef Perrier, the instructors whipped up Sauce Béarnaise, Sauce Choron, Sauce Rouen- naise, and Jus de Poulet, and they relished the op- portunity to learn some- thing new about sauces they’ve been making for years from one of the most accomplished chefs in the industry.


Chef Georges Perrier discusses his Master-in-Residence position at Walnut Hill College in 2017. Photo: Claudia Christian


After the workshop, Chef Perrier sat down with the team at Walnut Hill College to talk about Bistro Perrier, his life after a near-death experience, and the next generation of chefs.


The WHC Team: It’s been a little over six years since you left Le Bec-Fin, your renowned restaurant, and now here we are preparing for the


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nity stakeholders to help shape the restaurant. Then, the groups worked with the city, which owns the land and leased it to UCD, to en- sure the design was safe


opening of a restaurant that has been named in your honor. What does Bistro Perrier mean to you?


know, I’ll tell you some- thing. When you’re recog- nized by your peers, there is nothing better in life. Cus- tomers are nice, but your peers, if they recognize you, the chefs…my people, that’s very special to me. The WHC Team: And now you’re getting to work alongside your


Chef Perrier: Well, you


ley. Both are from West Philly, although Crowley recently moved to Center City. Nevertheless, the two cooked up a diverse menu with international items that, says Wein- stein, reflect the diversity of the neighborhood. “There are plenty of dining options around


peers today. Chef Perrier: You know, I always say in life, when you teach what you know to other people, it’s wonderful. That’s the way I learned. And that’s the way they learned, because what I did today, they will remember that the rest of their lives, and they will use it and do it. Simple as that. Cooking ain’t complicated. We [chefs] make it complicated, but it’s not complicated. The WHC Team: So earlier this year, you had a pretty serious health scare. What’s it like be- ing back in the kitchen doing what you love? Chef Perrier: You know…I almost died. As a matter of fact, I got sick. I was dead. And when I was lying down on the floor, I said nobody’s gonna help me, I’m gonna die right now. I saw death. And then finally, somebody came and gave me bouche a bouche [mouth to mouth]. Oh man. Yeah, she saved my life. The doctor said if she would have not done that, I would have been dead. I was dead. Very, very lucky. I guess it was not my time. The WHC Team: Wow. And we’re grateful for that.


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with all the trolleys com- ing and going just steps from the front door. “It’s a small miracle we even opened,” laughed Weinstein.


But, now that he’s here,


Weinstein is making the most of it.


The menu comes cour- tesy of Chef Barbie and manager Andrew Crow-


here, but not enough of them are for everyone,” he said. “We want to appeal to renters, home- owners, students, uni- versity faculty and the people who work at the two hospitals nearby.” It’s a tall order, but it’s one he’s confident the


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Chef Perrier: Yeah, I’m very grateful. You cannot take life for granted. Now, I see everything in a different view, eyes. I’m very sense- ful [sic] and very lucky. I’m a very lucky guy. I should not be here, you know, to have pleasure, what I have, you know, a lot of pleasure. I could be dead. The WHC Team: Now Chef, as Master-in-Resi- dence, you’ll be helping to guide our students and teach them some of the skills you’ve learned


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