Spring-2023

130 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 C hez Noir, the modern French “bistronomie” that opened last summer in Carmel, quickly found a loyal customer base eager to try Chef Jonny Black’s coastal California cuisine dishes prepared with French and Spanish influences. Co-owned with wife Monique Black, Chef Black finds many of his wines, produce and seafood in our local area, where he also forages for ingredients himself. Located in an intimate, warm setting, the service is customized to each diner, and each exquisite course is served with graciousness and care. A cozy bar area adjacent to the dining space offers a rotating cocktail list with French influences and infused with local herbs and fruit.With unpar- alleled experience gleaned from working for restaurants such as Atelier Crenn, Quince, Per Se, Coi and Pineapple & Pearl, Chez Noir is the first restaurant owned by the Blacks. Q: What are the highlights of your background as a chef and what influ- ences do you draw upon for your menu? A: I have been fortunate to have been a part of many great kitchens throughout my career…Per Se was a very demanding and rewarding kitchen to spend time in. It was there that I got a taste of what it was like to cook hyper-seasonally at a very high level.We would change the menu every day and only worked with the best ingredients one could find.The food was elegant, classic and focused on quality technique and extreme attention to detail.The work ethic instilled in me there has lived with me ever since. After Hurricane Sandy, Monique and I decided to head west, back to my roots in California.We were fortunate to join the team at Quince just as they were really pushing to gain recognition and become a world-class restaurant. Chef Michael Tusk and I are kindred spirits. He is unrelenting in his dedication to the sourcing of ingredients. It was amazing to learn from him and meet the farmers and artisans that he has been working with since his time at Chez Panisse. Dominique Crenn and I bonded over our love of France and classical cooking. I was fortunate to travel to France with her on multiple occa- sions. First, in preparation for the opening of Bar Crenn and lastly to cook at the Élysée Palace for the French president and Bocuse d’Or France.We visited all the classic bistros and patisseries. It was during that time that I fell back in love with classic bistro fare and got to really experience first- hand the “bistronomie” movement. This is where young chefs who have spent their time in 2- and 3-star restaurants such as myself, have branched out and opened their own small restaurants, just cooking delicious and honest food without all the pomp and circumstance. Q: What are some of the most uniquely local dishes on the menu? How have they been received? A: We change the menu quite a lot, so there have been quite a few dishes that I think really speak to the area. First off are the abalone skew- ers. Abalone is one of my favorite ingredients and unique to this area, with the Monterey Abalone company being only a 10-minute drive away. We pair the abalone with bay laurel that grows in abundance in Carmel Valley and Big Sur. It engulfs your senses when you go for a hike…When we were building the kitchen, I knew that I wanted to add some sort of grilling/live fire element to our cooking. It is simply the best way to cook many things.We settled on a Mibrasa Grill coming from the Costa Brava region of Spain. Seeing as how we had great inspiration from our time Chez Noir Opens to Fanfare in Carmel-by-the-Sea Chef Jonny Black Melds European Inf luences wi th Local Ingredients B Y B R E T T WI L BUR Our ideal restaurant is one that feels like it's bursting at the seams. The tables are close, the music is bumping, the lighting is just right, and there is an energy in the room that makes you feel like something exciting is to come.