In the Country with Patricia and Michel Jean

The unassuming building at 2928 Church Street, with small folding tables out front, was once the office of the Pine Plains Register-Herald. After several iterations as a café or restaurant, it is now Champêtre, an intimate French dining establishment hosted by Patricia and Michel Jean. After 15 years of running Stissing House, they moved four buildings over to this less sprawling setting in 2021.

The French name Champêtre, which means “rural” or “country” in English, was selected by Michel. “I love Pine Plains because it’s still rural. I like that it’s still countryside,” he said.

Michel, whose father was a farmer, hails from Salon-de-Provence in southern France. Patricia, from Grosse Pointe, Mich., couldn’t wait to leave her hometown. As a teenager, she took the bus across town to find copies of Interview and New York Magazine.

Both were drawn to travel. After graduating from the culinary institute Ecole hôtelière de Nice in 1968, Michel explored the world on cruise ships, in Morocco and in California. Meanwhile, Patricia, an artist and printmaker, assisted an artist in London, where she waited tables for extra money, later living in Japan for a stint.

The couple met in New York City in 1977, at the Park Avenue restaurant/night club Regine’s, where Michel was maitre’d. Patricia was running Regine’s café next door, and would sometimes come to the restaurant to promote the café’s lunch offerings. They married, and in 1983 their daughter, Emilie, was born.

Michel continued his career in the New York culinary scene. He worked in front of house at prominent French restaurants such as Le Cirque, but wanted to start his own restaurant. “All the French restaurants were very expensive, not fun, formal,” Michel said. “There was no bistro in New York and no Provencal food. Then we found this place in Soho.” In 1986, he and Patricia opened Provence, a lively brasserie on MacDougal Street that thrived for 20 years.

They first visited Dutchess County when they went to see a waiter they worked with who had a house just across the Columbia County line. Both Michel and Patricia loved riding horses and Michel had grown up shooting birds. The numerous horse and shooting clubs in the area, such as Mashomack Preserve Club, appealed to them. As weekenders at the time, they boarded their horses in Millbrook.

In 1989, the couple purchased a weekend house on Prospect Hill in Pine Plains. “Realtors kept showing us houses next to the road, and we told them we wanted an old house we could fix up, at the top of a hill. They said there was nothing like that, but I insisted there must be at least one, and we found it,” Michel said. They cultivated a large garden there. “People stopped wanting to come stay,” Patricia said with a laugh. “I’d say, you can come if you pick green beans.”

When the opportunity to run the Stissing House restaurant arose in 2005, Patricia and Michel Jean, who by then had formed close friendships in Pine Plains, decided to sell Provence and move to the area full time. Their daughter began attending Dutchess Day School in the sixth grade. During their 15-year tenure at Stissing House, Patricia and Michel became deeply engaged with the community, further solidifying their ties to Pine Plains.

“We used to hold community events, like baby showers, upstairs,” Patricia said. She became involved with organizations addressing food insecurity, such as the Northeast Community Center, where she serves on the board and helps with their annual event, and Willow Roots, where she volunteers. During Covid, Michel and Patricia prepared and hosted a dinner for Willow Roots clients.

For a time, Patricia was head of Pine Plains Small Business Association, but it was hard to keep it going. “People had different goals,” she said. One outstanding problem she sees for small businesses in town is the lack of a central wastewater system. “Dutchess County is the toughest in the state” in terms of septic system rules, Patricia said, which limits Champêtre’s seating to 23 chairs. 

A signature element of the old Stissing House that has become even more prominent at Champêtre is the collection of 19th-century Hudson River oil paintings adorning the walls. Patricia began collecting these paintings when they first moved to Pine Plains. “When we first got our house on Prospect Hill Road, I got interested in the history of the area. Back then, these paintings were easy to find at garage sales and auctions. It was fun. I kept collecting them, and when we opened Stissing House, it was such a natural fit. A lot of people don’t remember the paintings from there because they were in the back rooms and down the hallway,” she said. Framed in gilt, the paintings add atmosphere and a sense of history to the inviting dining room at Champêtre.

“They are a wonderful, interesting, and warm couple. Whenever one goes in, it is like coming home,” said Catherine Howard, a frequent patron of Champêtre. “They create a real sense of belonging because of their warmth and their knowledge of our lives and interests — but with delicious French food and a beautiful ambiance.”

“There’s a vibe at Champêtre that’s unlike any other restaurant in the area. You walk in, and there’s energy; the room is bright and open, you hear laughter, and you see familiar faces at tables around the room,” said Patrick Trettenero. “Add to that a warm greeting from Patricia, jokes and delicious cocktails from Tracie, good service, and, of course, Michel’s delicious food.”

Jim Petrie agreed. “I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at Champêtre,” he said. “One can easily spend a couple of hours there enjoying really fine food and good conversation with friends and family.”

Finding and retaining staff is a challenge, Patricia said.  “We are so fortunate that many of our staff moved from Stissing House to Champêtre with us. They are committed and we work well together. But it’s hard to find staff. Housing is a problem. We found one couple in Torrington, but we’ve looked everywhere and can’t find housing for them.”

The employees they do have are committed. “I’ve been working here for nine years because I love it. They are the best employers, we are like a family here,” said front of house staff, Tracie Herrmann.

Initially, sourcing local produce was difficult. “It’s hard to imagine now, but everything would get trucked to New York City,” Patricia said. Today, the restaurant collaborates closely with local providers, including Full Circus Farm, Chaseholm, and Black Sheep Hill Farm. 

“We like making people happy and giving them a good experience,” Michel said. 

Champetre is open for dinner Wednesdays to Sundays from 5 to 8 p.m. On Saturdays, they are open until 9 p.m.