From Alsace to Switzerland to the Cotes d’Azur, Didier Dutertre spent his formative years in the kitchens of world-class European restaurants. Then he found a permanent home in California.

Recruited out of the French Riviera by Gaston Georis of Casanova in Carmel, Calif., Dutertre spent 25 years at that famed restaurant before starting his own venture. Inspired by Parisian cafés with seasonally influenced menus, Dutertre opened Bistro Moulin with his wife sommelier Colleen Dutertre in 2007. Located a block above the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, Bistro Moulin’s concept was simple: Execute a simple menu of classic French-leaning bistro fares such as coq au vin, moules frites, confit de canard, and Dutertre’s signature dish, Parisian-style spinach gnocchi.

A member of Disciples Escoffier International, Dutertre began his culinary career at the age of 15, studying at the Ecole de Cuisine in Tours, France, while working weekends and summers as an assistant sommelier at Relais Chateau d’Artigny, a two-star Michelin hotel, and restaurant. He completed his formal training with two additional years at the Ecole Hoteliere in Strasbourg, France. From there Dutertre headed for Switzerland and worked two years as sous chef in Montreux, and then on to Meribel in the French Alps, and Juan-les-Pins on the Cotes d’Azur. A native of L’Aigle, a small town in Normandy, Dutertre now makes his home in Monterey.