Let nature dictate the rules
I arrived in Riedisheim at the age of 9.
My parents and I settled just a stone’s throw from the Kieny house, with no idea of the future that awaited me.
My Bavarian mom and Sicilian dad passed on to me both the sense of festivity and the family spirit that govern our professions in the hotel and restaurant business in Alsace.
I started working in the restaurant to pay for my studies, and never left!
Since 1850, the house of Kieny has been handed down from father to son.
Jean-Marc, my husband, represented the 6th generation.
He started out alongside his father in the kitchen, while I worked in the dining room with his mother.
His brother Laurent, a Maître Pâtissier, and his wife Martine, provide invaluable support and run a store next door.
The Kieny family’s leitmotiv has always been to represent local produce as well as possible.
We are truly attached to the taste of the terroir and are keen to highlight small local producers as much as possible.
The Jean-Marc Kieny “L’Alsace recuisinée® ” trophy, presided over by Olivier Nasti, is a step in this direction.
It encourages students to do their very best to showcase the region.
The chefs who have accompanied us have always respected this philosophy, which is so dear to our company.
Their dynamism, creativity and technical skills have enabled our establishment to renew itself in keeping with the motto: “To build the future of cuisine, we must know how to take the best of the past and guarantee tradition by adapting it to our times. In this way, the pleasure of good food remains. The welcome you receive in a restaurant is highly representative of regional customs.
In a way, they are the ambassadors of their region.
At the crossroads of Europe, Alsace is a region with a strong gastronomic tradition.
We offer a warm welcome because we love to please and entertain, and to share the traditions of which we are so proud.
For this, family spirit in a team is essential.
Enjoying each other’s company, spending time together, taking the time to debrief, are all ways of preserving real cohesion.
Everyone is important to progress, which is why we need to communicate.
Trust, solidarity and benevolence are the hallmarks of harmony within a restaurant.
Our customers feel this natural osmosis, and they feel good, just like at home.
One person’s happiness is another’s!
In the dining room, you have to know how to be present and attentive without being imposing.
It’s just as important to accompany guests as they leave as it is to welcome them as they arrive.
Adrien Stoff el, our maître d’hôtel and sommelier, is a fine example.
For the past 11 years, he has formed a solid bridge between the dining room and the kitchen.
He knows how to coordinate while remaining humble, discreet and refined.
He’s a delight to work with!
We’re in a great business.
The young people who read me need to understand that we’re here to listen to them, and that they can develop while maintaining their social and family life. Things are changing and will continue to move in the direction of employee well-being.
I’m delighted to see that our intentions and values are shared by so many of our colleagues.
Let’s remain proud of our region and its traditions, and continue to open up to more sharing and less individualism.
I’m convinced that we need to keep an open mind in order to move forward and transcend borders.
We’re stronger together.
