Le Jardinier & Culinary Knowledge Practice Cards

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from the Le Jardinier staff and culinary study guide.

Le Jardinier

A produce-centric culinary concept created by Michelin-starred Chef Alain Verzeroli and global hospitality group The Bastion Collection, named after the French word for 'The Gardener.'

SYMBOLISM OF THE BAYLEAF 🍃

The bay leaf serves as our symbol of Le Jardinier, nobility, and triumph

MFAH PERSONNEL 👥👥

Gary Tinterow - Director

Amy Purvis director of development

Madame & Sir Daniel Bastion owners

THE MESEUM

The campus of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been transformed: a school and gallery building, designed by Steven Holl Architects; a conservation center, designed by Lake Flato Architects; and a landscape plan by Deborah Nevins & Associates that knits together a century’s worth of signature architectural structures.

Le Jardinier and its sister restaurant, Café Leonelli, reside in the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. Designer Steven Holl - most recently known for his design of the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center – took inspiration from billowing clouds of the broad Texas sky

Color Flash for Chat and Chew, Paris Texas in Seventy-Two

A vibrant $10 \times 14\text{-foot}$ arboreal tapestry created by Houstonian artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, hand-woven with New Zealand wool and silk fibers by Odabachian in Varanasi, India.

Akari Lanterns

Lightweight, abstract sculptural light fixtures designed by Isamu Noguchi, hand-crafted in Japan's Gifu prefecture by Ozeki & Co. using bamboo framework and traditional Washi paper made from Mulberry tree fibers.

The Freeform Sofa and companion Ottoman

were produced around 1950 in limited numbers. Today, the few remaining pieces achieved record prices at auction. The designs have been manufactured in an authentic re-edition since 2002. The sofa is suitable not only for use in living spaces, but also in lobbies, hotels and retail shops.

TABLEWARE AND FLATWARE - Plates Nikko, Jars,

DINING LAMPS

FLOS

Flos is an Italian brand born in the 1950’s with the idea that light could change the way people live. For decades they have been a leading design firm in residential and commercial lighting architecture. Famous designs now sold around the globe in innumerable variations were created for the first time by Flos;  Arco (middle) and Taccia (right) are two of their most notable original designs. Our table lamps (left; $500 each) were a collaboration between Flos and London-based architect, Michael Anastassiades. The base is made of pure solid crystal and makes an architectural reference to an ancient Roman column.

FLATWARE

DESIGNED BY PININFARIA

Mepra was created in 1947, but originally began in 1901 as one of Italy’s first factories to be powered by the kinetic energy of the Gobbia river. During WWI, it served as manufacturer of bullets for the Italian armed forces. In the 1947, the factory fully transitioned to Mepra’s high quality flatware production.

Our flatware is stainless steel coated in a Champagne-colored, mirrored titanium designed by Italian design house Pininfarina. Pininfarina was founded in the 1930s and is most famously known for designing luxury cars including Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

The Pininfarina design team worked to give our flatware dynamic and sensual lines that convey a vivid impression of preciousness and, at the same time, lightness.

FERM LIVING

Ferm LIVING was founded in Denmark by Trine Anderson in 2005, after being inspired by a bird perched on a branch ready for flight. Scandinavian design traditions and retro charm run throughout each design with a stunning graphic edge to add a contemporary feel. Each design is inspired by everyday life, striving to create pieces for every room of the house with a homelike quality and modern design.

African Limba Wood

A Ghana-sourced wood species featured on Le Jardinier's interior walls and host stand, glamourized in the 1960s by Gibson Guitars and sourced for the restaurant from three matchbook-style cut trees.

The end of August - By Martin Kline

• American artist influenced by floral and fungal nature.

• Uses a technique using a mix of melted natural beeswax and coloring pigments applied in layers to dry quickly into a 3D relief

Three Personages - By Robert Motherwell

An Abstract-Expressionist painting by Robert Motherwell created as part of his Elegy to the Spanish Republic series to commemorate human suffering during the Spanish Civil War.

• Is part of a series of over 100 paintings that represent a lamination or funeral song following the Spanish civil war

La Riviere - By Maillol

• A sculpture by Aristide Maillol featuring a twisting female figure lying low to the ground, designed to suggest the physical pressure of a powerful current

• The culpyure was originally ment to be a woman being stabbed in the back

• Most of his work focuses on serenity and stillness

Scholar's Way - By Choi

• Choi is known for traditional Korean design with modernist forms of art.

• He’s considered the father of contemporary Korean design

• The rocks appear as naturally occurring rocks that are sanded, carved or polished to a desired appearance for reflection or meditation

• Schlorars way is meant to be a meditation on the relationship between stone and water

The Large Horse - By Duchamp-Villon

• A Cubist and geometric fusion of the natural anatomy of an animal with mechanical elements like pistons, gears, and shafts to convey motion.

Béchamel

The first mother sauce in French cooking, traditionally made by combining butter or milk with flour to create a smooth white base.

Velouté

A classic French mother sauce made by combining a roux (flour and fat) with light stock or mixing béchamel with vegetable or meat stock.

Espagnole

A flavorful brown French mother sauce created from cooked vegetables and meats, commonly utilized as a demi-glace base for sauces and stews.

Hollandaise

A bright yellow French mother sauce formed by emulsifying egg yolk, butter, and lemon juice.

Bouquet Garni

A French cooking method where an assortment of fresh herbs tied together is submerged in a cooking vessel to enhance soups, stews, and stocks.

Chiffonade

A French knife slicing technique where leafy greens or herbs are stacked, rolled tightly, and cut into thin, ribbon-like strips.

Coulis

A smooth, thick purée of fruits or vegetables used as a sauce to accompany savory entrees or classic desserts.

Mirepoix

A traditional French aromatic base consisting of diced carrots, onions, and celery simmered together to flavor stocks, soups, and stews.

Mise en Place

A French culinary principle meaning 'everything in its place,' referring to prepping, measuring, weighing, and organizing all ingredients prior to cooking.

Sous-vide

A precision cooking technique where vacuum-sealed ingredients are slow-cooked in a water bath held at a precise, constant temperature.

Spherification

A molecular gastronomy process using calcium chloride and alginate to form soft, liquid-filled spheres that resemble pearls or caviar.

Transglutaminase

An enzyme known as 'meat glue' that binds together separate pieces or types of meat, poultry, or fish.

Terroir

A French concept encompassing all environmental factors—climate, microclimate, soil composition, topography, and human intervention—that define a wine's individual character.

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC)

The official French regulatory framework governing vineyard boundaries, permitted grape varieties, and production methodology for wines.

American Viticultural Area (AVA)

An officially designated wine-grape growing region in the United States, requiring a minimum of $85\text{\%}$ of grapes in an AVA-labeled bottle to come from that specified location.

Licorella

The distinct slate-rich soil found in the Priorat DOCa region of Catalonia, Spain, which imparts a notable earthy profile to its wines.

Méthode Champenoise

The traditional secondary bottle-fermentation process mandated for producing sparkling wine in the Champagne AOC region of France.

Bourbon

An American whiskey distilled from a mash bill containing at least $51\text{\%}$ corn and aged for a minimum of two years in new charred oak barrels.

Proof

A standard unit of measurement for alcohol content in spirits used in the United States, equal to double the Alcohol by Volume ($\text{ABV}$) percentage.

Château Cheval Blanc 1947

A highly prized vintage Bordeaux wine from Saint-Émilion possessing a $14.4\text{\%}$ alcohol concentration, a six-liter bottle of which was sold at Christie's for $\text{US}\\thinspace 304,375$.