At Café du Parc, rising young chef, Christophe Marque recreates the authentic flavors of the traditional Parisian Bistro with a sprinkling of some of the Alsatian traditions of Paris’ celebrity Chef Antoinne Westermann, who consults for the bistro. Westermann, such as Le pâte en croûte façon Antoine Westermann, (Antoine Westermann’s Pate in a crust).
Washington D.C.’s brand new bistro, Café Du Parc, next to the Willard InterContinental hotel, welcomes Chef de Cuisine Christophe Marque, whose culinary skills were honed in such establishments as La Villa Eugénie at Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, and Paris’ famed Drouant.
Born in the Southwest France town of Pau (near Lourdes), Chef Marque learned to love food from his mother and grandmother, both of whom enjoyed preparing regional specialties, such as the Poule au Pot (a stewed stuffed Chicken and favorite of Henry IV, who was born there.) He grew up in a family where everything was homemade with fresh vegetables from the garden.
Following his general studies, Chef Marque returned to his first love, cooking. In 2000, he apprenticed in Saint Savin, at a fine dining establishment, Le Viscos, where he learned culinary arts with a focus on fresh produce and restaurant management. He then went to work at the one-star Michelin restaurant, La Villa Eugénie at Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz where he became Chef de Partie. He was then offered a position in Paris at Le Violon d’Ingres, also a one Michelin star establishment, which led him to his next position as Sous Chef at Antoine Westermann’s famous restaurant, Drouant. Under the supervision of the three-Michelin star Chef, Chef Marque fine tuned his culinary skills. A year later, Westermann offered Marque the opportunity to lead the culinary brigade at Café du Parc, the new Washington D.C. French Bistro that consultant Westermann oversees.