For me, Angèle has always been deeply personal.

I grew up in San Francisco in a family where restaurants and hospitality were simply a part of life. My father, Claude Rouas, came to California from France and went on to open the famed L’Etoile in San Francisco before coming to the Napa Valley and opening Auberge du Soleil in 1981. His vision and passion for bringing the spirit of Provence to California had an enormous influence on me and on the way I came to understand hospitality.

I moved to the Napa Valley as a teenager and was fortunate to grow up alongside a remarkable generation of restaurateurs, chefs, and hospitality professionals who helped shape the Valley. Over the years, I had the opportunity to work in some of its most respected restaurants, including The French Laundry, Bistro Jeanty, and Bistro Don Giovanni. Each experience taught me something different, but together they shaped my belief that a great restaurant is about much more than food. It is about generosity, warmth, attention to detail, and making people feel genuinely cared for.

France has always been an equally important part of my life. My father was French, and I grew up very close to my French family and to the woman who helped raise both my father and me. I later lived in France to be closer to my family, deepening a connection to French culture, food, and hospitality that had been part of my life since childhood.

Opening a restaurant of my own had always been a dream. When I opened Angèle in 2002, it was both the realization of that dream and an homage to my father, my family, and the French heritage that has shaped so much of who I am. I named the restaurant Angèle after my grandmother.

The food at Angèle is rooted in the French cooking I love, but it is also very much a reflection of the Napa Valley. We are fortunate to be surrounded by exceptional local farmers and growers, and our kitchen draws inspiration from the beautiful ingredients they bring us throughout the seasons. That relationship between French tradition and the ingredients grown around us has always been at the heart of the restaurant.

More than two decades later, Angèle remains as personal to me as it was when we first opened our doors. I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by a talented and dedicated team who share my belief in genuine hospitality and thoughtful service.

My hope has always been simple: that when you come to Angèle, you feel welcomed, cared for, and transported—even if only for a few hours—to a little corner of France in the Napa Valley.