Two of the region’s
most zealous and acclaimed restaurateurs close their doors
after nearly four decades.
By Susan Sandor

La Bonne Auberge, a classic French restaurant in New Hope, served its last dinners to a full house of loyal gastronomes on December 19, the night a terrific snowstorm swept through the Delaware Valley. Like most patrons at the tables that final evening, I would have trekked in snowshoes to get there. Feasting on chef Gerard Caronello’s fare has been a particular indulgence for years. And how could anyone pass up the last Dover sole?
This Bucks County icon retained a coveted Four Diamond Award since the AAA initiated the program 17 years ago. The restaurant was also one of the first in the region to receive a Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award of Excellence, known as a DiRoNA, an honor it held every year thereafter.
Caronello; his front lady and wife, Rozanne; and daughter Sophie, La Bonne Auberge’s Jane-of-all-trades, reflect on 38 years of impassioned fine dining.

You’ve had a long ride as restaurateurs. How would you describe your journey.
Rozanne and Gerard: Challenging, stressful, exhausting and totally rewarding in the long run.

Gerard, when you were in training, did you ever imagine it would lead you here?
G: Where am I? (Laughs.) I began as an
apprentice at age 15, so no, no, no.

Sophie, what were you fed as a child of a high-profile French chef?
S: Nothing but veal, and I don’t touch it now. Dover sole and baked Brie were also staples.

For the last six-plus years, you traveled nearly every weekend from your home in Washington to work at the restaurant. Why?
S: It was second nature. I started washing dishes standing on a bucket when I was six-years-old.

Did you ever dream of running La Bonne Auberge after your parents retired?
S: It would never be the same and my parents would never wish it upon me.

Most popular item on the menu?
R: Rack of lamb and Dover sole. I don’t think we could have lasted so long without them.

Rozanne, you often referred to Dover sole as “the queen of fish.” Who is king?
R: The person who cooks it, Gerard.

What was your greatest extravagance in the business?
R: Silver Christofle cloches with a price tag of $475 apiece.

What was your greatest achievement as restaurateurs?
G: To be able to run a successful restaurant and raise two kids.
R: And to retire on our own terms at the top of the game, not owing anyone. Independence.

What was the best perk?
G: Being able to indulge in the finest food and wine at wholesale prices.

How did you manage to maintain a healthy weight being in the constant company of such fine food and drink?
G: Good food doesn’t make you fat.

Did you have a favorite customer?
G: The dot-commer who frequently purchased jeroboams of the finest wines.

Any famous customers?
R: Ann Miller, Cindy Crawford, William Conrad, Peter Falk, Dr. J, Jim O’Brien, Monica Malpass and, of course, the guy who bought the jeroboams.

Most eccentric?
R: One notable gentleman who dined with us every week for about 20 years requested the same table and ordered the same entrée every time, served “Pittsburgh rare.”

Oddest request?
R: Someone who handed us a list of allergies and demanded that Evian be used in anything requiring water. We were expected to wash her dishes with Evian before serving!

Your worst memory?
G and R: A power outage on a Saturday night when the first seating was nearly finished, but not quite, and the second seating started arriving. Not only did free food and drinks fly but we had to discard the entire contents of our walk-ins. The power was out for 20 hours.

Any crises averted?
R: A couple who dined here often were in the throws of divorce when each made a reservation with their new significant others on the same night. I talked one out of coming.

Gerard, what advice do you have for young chefs who are on the other end of the spectrum?
G: Learn from other chefs before stepping out on your own.

What chef, dead or alive, do you most admire?
G: My boss when I was an apprentice in Feurs, France. He never cut corners and he had the highest standards.

One tip that every home cook can appreciate.
G: Stay simple, especially when entertaining. And use herbs.

Now that the door to La Bonne Auberge is closed what do you envision for the future?
R: Drinking all the wine left in the cellar.