I have been fascinated by calligrams long before I learned that that's what they are called. And, for as long as I can remember I've wanted to create a menu design in this way, I finally got my chance this Bastille Day for Chez Panisse Restaurant! The main course was chicken so my strutting rooster felt quite fitting as the image. The proud rooster has, also, always felt so … [Read more...]
Bon Anniversaire Chez Panisse Café!
The upstairs Café at Chez Panisse Restaurant is turning 34 tomorrow. Bon Anniversaire! The occasion will be celebrated with a delicious prix fixe menu. This year, I was lucky enough to be asked to design and print the special menus. With such a wonderful French menu, I decided to draw inspiration from the sketches and illustrated notebooks of Georges Braque. Georges had the … [Read more...]
St. Valentine’s Day at Chez Panisse
Please forgive my delayed Valentine's Day wishes, this year I was busily working on the menu designs for Chez Panisse Restaurant! Such a dream project! I created the above menus for the Downstairs Restaurant and the menu header, below, for the Café. My designs are inspired by gorgeous old title pages, in particular, design elements from Paris - circa the late 1700's. I … [Read more...]
42 Years of Chez Panisse
Yesterday Chez Panisse celebrated it's 42nd birthday. I have always felt a sense of kinship with the restaurant, as I too was born in 1971. I was so pleased when I was contacted to design and print the menus for this celebratory occasion. I kept my design simple and elegant using a decorative border from the late 1700's which I silkscreen printed in a soft moss green. I … [Read more...]
Vive Bastille Day! Vive Chez Panisse!
It seems impossible that we are already deep into July, where does the time go? Although I'm a little late, I thought I'd post another one of my Bastille Day menus designed for Chez Panisse Restaurant. I've created many special menus for Chez Panisse over the years and they continue to be some of my favorite projects of my career. Alice (the owner and guiding light of the … [Read more...]