CAFÉ PRESSE SEATTLE

ABOUT CAFÉ PRESSE

Café Presse and Le Pichet owners Jim Drohman and Joanne Herron have both long been fascinated by the food, wine and lifestyle of France. Jim left a career as an Aeronautical Engineer to train in the cuisine at l’Ecole Superior de Cuisine Jean Ferrandi in Paris. During his stay in France, he worked at several restaurants, including Le Boudin Sauvage and the Michelin rated Le Coq de la Maison Blanche. In 2001, he returned to Seattle and was chef at both Campagne and Café Campagne.

Joanne has worked in the service industry since 1981, including over 12 years at Market Place Caterers/The RUINS. Her interest in France began with her first visit to the French countryside at age 19 and has grown through many professional and personal visits. She has spent extensive time touring the wine producing regions of France, learning firsthand from winemakers and importers and has participated in the “vendage” or harvest of grapes in the Loire Valley.

Jim and Joanne opened Le Pichet in 2000 with the hope of recreating the personal, neighborhood style of restaurant they had come to love in France. Le Pichet continues to serve the Pike Place Market neighborhood under their direction and the supervision of Le Pichet Chef de Cuisine Brent Harding and Dining Room Manager Sophie Guerrero. Brent graduated from the New England Culinary Institute and spent time in the kitchen of the Everest Hotel in Chicago under renowned Chef Jean Joho. He worked under Chef Drohman at Café Campagne in Seattle, and has been at Le Pichet for over 6 years. Sophie, who is from Angers, France, graduated from the Centre de Formation Professionel in Angers. She worked at the Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley before joining Le Pichet on opening day in August 2000.

With Café Presse, Jim and Joanne hope to build another type of Parisian institution, a Bar/Café. They hope that Café Presse will be the sort of place that Parisians use as a kind of alternative living room, to enjoy coffee and croissants in the morning, meet friends for lunch, dinner or drinks throughout the day or to have a late night bite or a night cap until 2am.

Assisting them at Café Presse will be Chef de Cuisine Jessi Aaenson. Jessi graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle and worked under Chef Drohman at Campagne Restaurant. She served as Pastry Chef at Le Pichet for over 5 years and now steps up to a wider leadership role with her promotion to Chef de Cuisine at Café Presse.

In addition, Café Presse is pleased to welcome Esther Harding as Dining Room Manager, and Tim Sipes as Bar Manager. Esther managed Café Campagne’s dining room for 3 ½ years, and has most recently held positions at Sambar/Le Gourmand and Le Pichet. Tim helped open Le Pichet in 2000 and most recently was Manager and Wine Director at Monsoon.

Café Presse is located at 1117 12th Avenue, near Madison Street.

Café Presse Interior Details

High ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows in the front room of Café Presse.

Parisian-style lighting fixtures in the front room of Café Presse.

Marble countertops top the bar in the front room of Café Presse.

The bar in front room of Café Presse.

Exposed brick, steel beams, and plenty of light in the backroom of Café Presse.

OPEN DAILY from 7AM to 2AM
1117 12TH AVENUE SEATTLE, WA 98122 • TELEPHONE: 206.709.7674