Joelle Mollinger

Born in Casablanca, Morocco but raised in France, Chef Joelle Mollinger received her bachelor’s degree in Law and Management from La Sorbonne Paris Panthéon-Assas in the late 1970s while working evenings in the kitchen at “Le Mercure Galant” Paris1 under the tutelage of Chef Pierre Ferrandi.  

Chef Mollinger opened her first restaurant, L’Ametuer, in Paris in 1980. After more than a decade of service, she brought her talents to New York City where she met her partner, Alain Castel. Together, they opened Country Café in 1992 before renovating a 19th century farmhouse in Skaneateles from a bed and breakfast to Joelle’s namesake restaurant, Joelle’s French Bistro, in 2005.  There she has been serving exotic dishes such as Moroccan tangine and classics such as pate and duck confit that capture the essence of French cuisine, all enjoyed in a pastoral atmosphere.

Through the years, Chef Mollinger has remained positive, hardworking, and self-motivated. She has maintained attention to detail with each dish and extended extraordinary hospitality to every patron.