The Pittsburgh Bailliage Takes a Road Trip

By Vice Chargé de Presse Ken McCrory

"On The Road Again. . ." - No, Willie Nelson didn't sing - but the Pittsburgh Bailliage was certainly singing the praises of Chez Gerard on Sunday, August 20, 1995. In a first for the Bailliage we took to the road in a luxury motor coach and journeyed south to the small town of Hopwood, located on historic US Route 40, forty-five miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

This area is very prominent in our country's early history. George Washington received his baptism of fire nearby in the first engagement of the French and Indian War, subsequently surrendering to French forces at Fort Necessity. General Edward Braddock's British army retreated along this route, following its disastrous defeat by the French outside Pittsburgh (then called Fort Duquesne). Thomas Jefferson, an early gastronome and oenophile, brought notoriety (and prosperity) to the area by selecting it as the route for the first federal highway, now US Route 40. Many fine stone structures were erected along Route 40 - including Hopwood house, now the home of Chez Gerard.

As our motor coach headed south toward Route 40, Bailli Pete Hanowich stood at the front (like Washington crossing the Delaware?) and introduced Mr. Gerard Meier. Gerard, formerly of Paris, and his wife Maryanne opened Chez Gerard in 1994. But why Hopwood, Pennsylvania? The answer is so very French - romance of course! Gerard met Maryanne on a flight from Paris to New York when Maryanne was returning from a modeling assignment. After a transatlantic courtship the pair were married and settled in Hopwood. Since no true Parisian can be away from a French restaurant for long, Gerard and Maryanne decided to open their own.

Gerard began our "Flight to France" by issuing "Passports" to everyone. These booklets described our theme as a gastronomic tour of the seven wine producing regions of France, with side excursions to Calvados, Gascony and Corsica. Realizing it would be cruel to let us read about the dinner and then take an hour long ride before our first taste, Gerard decided to serve the first course on the motor coach. Ably assisted by Jim Kilmer of Remlik Foods, Gerard distributed an Alsatian buffet of smoked salmon, fish bavarois and poultry pat accompanied by a 1993 Meier-Fonne Pinot Blanc (no Gerard's family doesn't own the vineyard).

Upon arrival at the beautiful early Nineteenth Century stone building our next course was served in the upper dining room, called The Room of the Seven Presidents for the interesting fact that seven US Presidents have stopped at this building in its long history. I'm sure none of those presidents were served anything as grand as the aspic of poultry and vegetable terrine with a 1992 Michel Redde Pouilly-Fume, that we received.

After a brief ceremony in the lovely outdoor garden, where Gerard and Maryanne were inducted into the Chaine and received the Chaine plaque as well as a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, we moved to our tables for a visit to Bordeaux. What a visit it was! Lobster, scallops, shrimp and monkfish in phyllo accompanied by a 1994 Chateau Graville-LaCoste, almost made us think the nearby river was the Gironde.

We continued our gastronomic tour with stops in Provence for hog snapper in honey wine sauce with ratatouille nicoise accompanied by 1993 Tavel Rose Chateau d'Aqueria; Normandie for apple sorbet with Calvados and then onto the Rhone Valley for leg of lamb with 1990 Domaine de Monpertuis Chateauneuf de Pape and a 1991 Chapoutier, Les Meysonniers, Crozes-Hermitage. Chevalier Stan Lalic said "all this traveling was making him tired," but Vice-Conseiller Culinaire Phil Bucci felt it only increased his appetite! Of course Phil had his eyes focused on the massive cheese tray, groaning under the weight of two dozen or so specially imported cheeses. These and our salad were perfectly joined by a 1990 Moillard Vosne Romanee from Burgundy.

Dessert was next and what better place to have it than Champagne. Ginger and spicy bread ice cream with raspberry sauce, iced nougat and hot chocolate, seven presidents cake and a floating island with creme anglais were delightfully matched by an Ayala Brut Chateau d'Ay.

Gerard introduced his staff, headed by Chef de'Cuisine Thierry Legrain and Maitre d' Hotel Bruno Zanker as we moved to our final stops in France - Gascony and Corsica. Coffee, tea and mignardises with Bas Armagnac from De Castelfort and Mandarine Napolean completed the trip.

Before boarding the "Return Flight" to Pittsburgh Gerard and Maryanne presented the Chaine members with jars of Chez Gerard's private label wine and spaghetti squash preserves.

To finish our history lesson we should note that British General John Forbes permanently pushed French forces out of the Pittsburgh region in 1758. While the French may not have held Pittsburgh in 1758, Chez Gerard's French Cuisine certainly held the Pittsburgh Chaine captive in 1995!