Following in the footsteps of his parents, who owned and

operated Restaurant de La Gare, a Hotel-Restaurant in Faoug

(a small town in the French-influenced part of Switzerland,)

Bernard says that his desire to become a chef came the day

he was born; "I was born in one of the rooms above the family

restaurant. My first smell was that of food. It has been in my

blood to become a chef since the day I was born." 

 

Born and raised west of the Alps, Althaus brings an earnest

French/Swiss sensibility to his cuisine.

 

Educated in Lausanne, he then served his apprenticeship at

Restaurant Le Chalet Suisse, before coming to the U.S. where

he served as head chef for French Sailing Team of the

1970 America's Cup. He then continued this journey as a

private chef on charters in the Caribbean before returning to

Switzerland to start a family. 

 

In 1990, Bernard and his wife, along with their two children,

came to Newport Beach for a wedding. With plans of traveling

the U.S. they purchased a motor home and traveled the country for a year. Like many, they found the combination of beautiful weather, ocean, and nearby access to skiing irresistible and decided to call California their new home. 

 

Soon thereafter, Althaus began cooking alongside fellow Swiss, Ernst Zingg, at The Celler in Fullerton, spent almost two years at Newport Beach's Pascal Restaurant, then over five years at Mezzanine At The Towers in Irvine before opening Basilic Restaurant in 1997.

 

Althaus has since been spending most of his time perfecting his exquisite dishes and pleasing his

clientele five nights a week on Balboa Island. At home he harvests his own organic garden to produce the fresh

herbs used in his dishes (the name Basilic is the French word for basil- Althaus' favorite go-to herb for seasoning)

and growing an array of vegetables served at the restaurant.  

 

In the kitchen, he prepares each dish and every dish to-order, making sure each plate is served to perfection. He'll often make a quick appearance in the dining room to greet guests.

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