We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claude Bouly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Claude, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Quality before profit. I value quality before profit, that’s why
-The French Lady is farm to table,
– the menu is short because fresh and always made from scratch
– we never use processed foods or processed ingredients
– we shop local and farmers as much as we can
= I refuse to lower my standards, and I’ll refuse a catering job, a party or a reservation if I’m not 100% sure I can deliver my best.

a story: one day, the executive chef of a well known country club tasted my quiche, and after admitting it was the best quiche he ever tried, asked me where I buy my quiche crust. I looked at him, surprised, and answered ” I make it”, and he wouldn’t believe me….

Claude, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Claude and I’m The French Lady because it’s the nickname people would give me at church… I got into the restaurant business because of the friends who would have a meal at my home and always said I should open a restaurant… I never thought of it before they talked about it… They pushed me! I decided I would not make any compromise and cook for my business as I cook for my family, with my grandmother’s recipes, and with quality ingredients. I don’t buy food from cheap places, I just don’t use “cheap” because cheap ingredients make cheap results. I learned to cook and bake with my mother and grandmother, I don’t want to serve anything they would not be happy with.
I’m proud of the spirit in my little place, of the fact that my customers feel at home, proud they feel it’s their little piece of France, proud of the word of mouth fame…
I want people to feel good when they come, it’s not just a meal, it’s an experience!
the day that old lady cried when she had my sugar and butter crepes, because they tasted exactly the way her (French) mum used to make them, I was so touched, so happy….
I used to be a performer, I hold a concert artist degree from the Royal Music Conservatory of Brussel… and my harp stands in my restaurant. My harp is part of me, of my place, of the experience…
I hope my guests know that I am real in every way

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I genuinely think that me being real built my reputation, and the trust my customers have in me. I don’t cheat
I just don’t cheat

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

During Covid, times were not always easy… One month, the restaurant didn’t have enough money available to pay for payroll: my husband paid my employees!
One time, the restaurant didn’t have enough money available to pay the rent: My landlord offered that I make 2 checks…
I was beyond grateful to my husband and to my landlord because it showed how they trusted in me, and trust from others helped me gain self confidence and work harder, to deserve that trust.

Contact Info:

• Website: zefrenchlady.com
• Instagram: zefrenchladyrestaurant
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zefrenchlady