3 days Ago
BRISTOL, Va. — From an Emmy Award-winning PBS Appalachia cooking show to State Street, the French Magnolia is bringing her signature twist on French American cuisine to Bristol. The restaurant, in the former Bloom space at 601 State St.
, offers an elegant but approachable ambiance that temporarily transports patrons to the French countryside without requiring a passport. Chef Missy Fraley, known to her fans on TV as the French Magnolia, and her husband Thomas Fraley moved to Bristol three years ago. “We came here for lunch one day and looked around and fell in love with Bristol in one afternoon,” Missy Fraley said.
“We loved the people we met that day. We loved the conversations we had with people that day, and we drove around and walked around and just fell in love with the city.” “It wasn’t just that we were falling in love with what we saw, but we fell in love with what it could be.
” It took the couple, who have a collective 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, two months to transform the space into the French Magnolia. “We really wanted to have a restaurant that said French Magnolia, where we had touched each piece of it, each thing was hand curated by us for the restaurant. So, it means something to us, because it’s a reflection, too, of our taste and the way that we’ve always wanted to do this,” Missy Fraley said.
Her PBS show, French Magnolia Cooks, takes viewers on a culinary journey across Southwest Virginia. She highlighted that although every item on the menu is French, they will all be familiar. “Our flavor profiles, our dishes are classic country French dishes,” she said.
“So, we’re not doing things that are so far out of people’s familiarity and we’ve kept the menu very approachable.” Chef Missy recommends first time customers try the Coq Au Vin (chicken in wine), or the Poisson en Papillote (fish baked in parchment). The menu at the French Magnolia will include a few seasonal dishes, as well as specials during the holidays.
When it comes to ingredients they are sticking with regional suppliers, she said. However, there are exceptions such as truffle foie gras moose, duck foie gras and pâté, which they are sourcing from upstate New York and France. “We’ve been very careful to choose purveyors that have an excellent reputation for quality and consistency,” Chef Missy said.
“So that every time you’re here, it’s the same level of excellence. “There’s nothing that Tom and I love more than exceeding your expectations,” she added. Thomas Fraley, the French Magnolia’s general manager, highlighted that in fulfilling their shared dream of opening a restaurant, they are not just introducing a fine dining experience to Bristol, but are also hoping to be a catalyst for future entrepreneurs.
“As much as we think that we have a winning formula and a lot of experience to make this happen, you know, we still have responsibility. Not just for our own business but, I think, for the community, for us to be successful. So, that other people will say, you know what? Let’s add to that,” Fraley said.
“I think everybody wins when that happens.” The French Magnolia first opened its doors Nov. 6.
and has already been fully booked for reservations over the next few weeks. Fraley highlighted that in the future he plans to “make some tables unavailable to book online,” for walk-ins. The French Magnolia is open Tuesday through Friday from 4:30 to 9 p.
m. and Saturday from 11:30 a.m.
to 9 p.m. For more information visit https://thefrenchmagnolia.
com/ . Email: [email protected] The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
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