A native of France, Julien Hervet brought a love of his home country with him when he came to the United States more than twenty years ago. After moving to the west coast and launching a successful career with Microsoft, Julien noted that accessing his favorite French wines proved more difficult than he wanted. So he began exploring importing the wine himself.
“I initially started to import wine just for fun because I couldn't find the wine I wanted in the market,” explains Julien. “When I did find it, it was a lot more expensive than it should have been due to the structure of the wine market in the U.S. and the intermediaries.”
His hobby grew into a niche business and Julie founded Cépaé in 2015 to meet local demand for French wines. As the time went on, he realized locals desired more than just French wine; they longed for a true taste of French lifestyle and cuisine. In 2018, Julien opened the first location of L'Experience Paris in Bellevue.
“We are in a very international area with people who have traveled a lot and there was interest in authenticity,” says Julien. “So we have built a full authentic French food experience. Everything we make is according to tradition, with the best ingredients. We use 100% French flour and butter and chocolate from Valrhona, which is the higher end chocolate maker from a patisserie in France.”
Over the last seven years, L'Experience Paris has expanded to five locations, four of which are open for from breakfast through midafternoon, with the Bellevue location serving dinner each evening. Each location also includes a retail space for customers to find their favorite French wine, tasty treats, and unique gifts.
A perfect way to begin each day is with coffee and a classic Parisian breakfast menu item, the croissant, presented with a variety of flavor pairings sure to please any palette. “When you think about morning in Paris, you think about a croissant,” says Julien. “We use only traditional techniques and no shortcuts in making our croissants, which I think are the best croissants west of Paris. It’s a three-day process using only French ingredients and we never freeze our dough.”
Breakfast and brunch also offer other classic French favorites such as eggs benedict and an assortment of savory quiches. Rounding out the café experience are the many freshly made patisseries, or sweet cakes, which highlight seasonal flavors and ingredients.
The dinner experience at the Bellevue location captures the essence of a French bistro. “It’s not pretentious. We're not looking for a Michelin star experience; we're looking for something where people will feel comfortable,” explains Julien. “It's really all about having a good time, putting a smile on people's face, and making sure after a long day of work, you're able to enjoy good food and wine with friends.”
Central to the entire experience are the exquisite wines Julien imports specially for his customers. “Our wines are very popular. All of the wines are from small winemakers and are exclusive to us because we bring them directly from France,” says Julien. “Our sparkling wines are very popular for breakfast, whether it's a sparkling wine from the Loire Valley or Champagne.”
L'Experience Paris also offers a full catering menu, and Julien says he and the staff really enjoy hosting events in the restaurants as well as off-site in other locations. “We love to create custom events for people when they have something that comes to mind that resonates with French themes,” he shares. “Recently, we did a birthday party where someone wanted it to be Parisian chic and we designed a special party for them.”
The team also recently welcomed a group of students from a French-American school who came to learn the art and tradition behind making croissants. Whether through the atmosphere, food, wine, or relationships, for Julien it is all about sharing something he is passionate about, his homeland. “The French brand, as we'll call it, is very powerful for people who have traveled to Paris and want to get a little escape from the daily routine,” says Julien. “For me, it's all about transmitting our cultural heritage and traditions and sharing France as it should be at a broader level.”
L'Experience Paris has five locations including Kirkland and Bellevue. For more information and to browse menus, make a reservation, and explore the unique gift items in the retail stores, visit www.lexperienceparis.com. Also follow @lexperienceparis on Instagram.
When you think about morning in Paris, you think about a croissant.
It’s not pretentious. We're not looking for a Michelin star experience; we're looking for something where people will feel comfortable.
We have built a full authentic French food experience. Everything we make is according to tradition, with the best ingredients.