Jean Denoyer

Jean Charles Denoyer is a French restaurateur based in the United States. He has been the creator and owner of 30 establishments and currently operates Brasserie Ruhlmann, Orsay, Le colonial NYC, Le colonial SF, Bar Italia. He came to NYC in 1965 and brought casual French dining to America when he opened La Goulue in 1972 on the Upper East Side.

Career

Jean Denoyer's first job as manager at Yellow Fingers nightclub was a success where he saw a market for European fashion. At the age of 27, he opened his first clothing store in Manhattan, “DeNoyer”, the only store with 100% European prêt a porter. His European fashion boutique was an immediate success, he went on opening two additional boutiques in Southampton and Palm Beach. Since then he opened 30 establishments, of which 24 were restaurants, 4 nightclubs and one bakery. He has ventured into several different cuisines, predominantly French, but also French-Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, and Continental. After opening La Goulue in 1972 Denoyer’s next venture was opening a night club, which he called La Boite, catering to a similar crowd to La Goulue.

Other venues include a Russian-themed night club with a gypsy band. Some of Denoyer’s prominent establishments are:

• La Goulue: Named for the glutton in Le Moulin Rouge, the flagship eatery has earned a Michelin star and scheduled to reopen in 2016.
• Brasserie Ruhlmann: As a Ruhlmann aficionado, Denoyer has recreated the 1930s French brasserie, designed in Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann art deco style. Featuring classic french brasserie
• Orsay: His current popular eastside boite is Orsay, an Art Nouveau brasserie in a Louis Majorelle style and decor.

• Mulshine, Molly. "Caburlesque or Cooking? 10 Minutes With 'Real Housewife' Sonja Morgan". The New York Observer. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 
• "Taking a chance on Romance". New York (magazine). 2 December 1991. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 
• Fickenscher, Lisa. "Jean Denoyer's La Goulue obsession". Crain Communications. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 
• "Side Dish: Bill Clinton's bedbug battle, Ryan Reynolds reaches out". New York Daily News. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 
• "A pizza speakeasy, Ralph Lauren's dining atelier and 45 hot new eateries for 2015". New York Post. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 
• Bladow, Janel. "A Man of Passion From fine food to chic design, Jean Denoyer has a zest for life". The Villager. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 
• Fabricant, Florence (9 April 2013). "Off the Menu". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2016. 

List of establishments

New York City

La Goulue 70st street, La Goulue Madison Ave, Brasserie Ruhlmann NYC, Le Colonial NYC, La cicala, La Boite, La Coupole NYC, Petruschka, Le Comptoir, The Supper Club, L’absinthe, Orsay, Fizz, Japonais NYC, Encore bakery, and Bar Italia.

Chicago and Los Angeles

Japonais Chicago, Brasserie Americain (Chicago, IL), Le Colonial (Chicago, IL), Brasserie Ruhlmann Chicago, Le Colonial LA, Chez Gilles (LA, CA), and Bistro K (LA, CA). Across the US: Japonais Vegas, La Goulue Bal Harbor, (FLA), Le Relais (Louisville, KY), Le Relais 2 (Louisville, KY), Le Colonial SF, Le Colonial Philadelphia, L’Escale (Greenwich, CT), and Bistro Moderne (Houston, TX).

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