Bruno Fortin, Founder & Chef
French Chef Bruno Fortin, "La Brute", could possibly be the savior of gourmands residing within the restaurant lover's no-man's land between central Georgetown and Glover Park. Long a strip visited for grocery shopping convenience and Safeway or a little antiquing, since the opening of Bistrot Lepic in 1995, it is now a place Washingtonians and visitors alike go for great food and atmospheric dining.
Some people are born knowing exactly what they are meant to do and endowed with the skills and talent to do just that. Whether or not Bruno was born to be a chef is anyone's guess, but it is no wonder that he has managed to build a solid reputation for excellent food since he has been cooking for more than half his life.
Born in 1964 in Brittany, Bruno grew up in a restaurant —literally!— owned by his mother and father.
His father was a butcher and his mother a chef. They eventually combined their skills and their love of food to open a restaurant which they operated for 35 years. Of course, Bruno was put to work in the family business and, at the age of 14, spent nine months cooking for his parents. After this foray into the kitchen, he attended two years of cooking school, then left Brittany, never to return to the Fortin family business. He chose instead to break out on his own.
His culinary expertise developed while working in London, Geneva, Paris, Bermuda and finally, here in Washington, DC. His first stop, Bistro Français. In 1995, he realized his dream of opening his own restaurant. Bistrot Lepic opened to rave reviews and quickly rose into the ranks of Washington's top restaurants. After years of zigzagging the globe, Bruno has remained true to the traditions of French cooking initially passed on to him by his parents while adapting to the present.
His approach is creative yet simple with an emphasis on fresh, quality products and dishes which are not only delicious but also good for you.
So, is Bruno's culinary finesse a product of nature or nurture? As long as the food is good, do we really care? Probably not.
Since 2017, Bruno has given the direction of the kitchen to his right arm Jean -Baptiste who has been working at Lepic since 2002.
Today , Bruno continue his passion with a twist . In 2017, He fell in love with Portugal and found a hidden treasure place in Rural Alentejo to pursue his dream to become a winegrower and produce wines in limited quantities. Our guests can now sample those wonderful wines at Bistrot lepic and la Piquette.
Jean Baptiste Massala, Chef de Cuisine
Gabon-born Chef Jean-Baptiste Massala first trained with 3 Michelin Stars Chef at the Libreville’s Sofitel for 3 years before arriving in Washington DC as the Chef of the Embassy of the Gabonese Republic.
Once locally established, Jean-Baptiste pivoted his career to renowned Washington restaurants such as La Miche, Café Europa, La Chaumière, and 4 years with 2 Michelin stars Chef Gerard Pangaud.
In 2002, he joined Chef Bruno at Bistrot Lepic as the morning sous-chef, later promoted by Chef Bruno and Managing Partner, Cyrille Brenac, as the Chef de Cuisine.
A long successful journey where learning and constantly improving culinary skills always remained the main focus of the daily cooking.
“Thank you God, Thank you Bruno and Cyrille!”
Cyrille Brenac, Managing Partner
Cyrille born in Mazamet, Languedoc Roussillon, France, and grew up with one idea in mind – to travel the world and meet people. The hospitality business was just a natural choice for him.
During his childhood, his parents entertained frequently at their home. Cyrille was either in the kitchen helping to prepare homemade foie gras and opening bottles of Bordeaux, or in the dining room serving, pouring wine and meeting guests.
After graduating from the “Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne,” with a master degree in Hospitality management and from Cornell University with several Hospitality Management Certificates, he has worked for first-class hotel groups such as Hyatt Regency, IHG and the Mayfair House in Miami.
In 1991, he oriented his career exclusively to the restaurant business for the dynamism of this booming industry, the more direct contact with the clientèle and where his creativity and organizational skills could bloom.
Since then, he has created new restaurant concepts, re-organized restaurants in Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, Curacao, Netherland and Bueno Aires, Argentina.
In Washington, DC, after having successfully managed and expanded Café Milano and Les Halles on Pennsylvania Avenue, in 2005 he joined Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar as the Managing Partner where he developed the Wine Bar and the Private Events Business for the restaurant.
In 2013, Cyrille opened La Piquette Bistrot, located in Cleveland park, which have become immediately, as Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar, the go-to restaurant for the Washington’s Francophiles crowd.
"We are an important part of the local community, offering delicious French food, wine and comfort on a daily basis - Restaurant business is the real thing”.
Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar will absolutely transport its guests to France.
Bon Appetit!
