New Chef and New Owners at Ashland’s Chateaulin

By: Karen Phillips | August 06 2010
Posted in Rogue Valley - Find It - Rogue Valley

Ashland’s Chateaulin Restaurant has been a fixture of southwest Oregon’s fine dining scene since it first opened in 1973, and has long been a popular stop for theatre-bound diners.

The restaurant changed hands in January of this year and new owners Patricia and Doug Volk have made a few exciting changes to the restaurant, while still retaining their focus on French cuisine featuring local ingredients. I recently had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Patricia Volk and chef Chad Smith, familiar to many of you from his time as head chef of Elements Tapas Bar in Medford, about some of those changes.

Photo: Jared Cruce

The Local Dish: If people haven’t visited Chateaulin for a while, what are some of the new things they’ll find at here?

Patricia Volk: One of the new features we’re really excited about is our bistro/wine shop. The bistro opens daily at 11 a.m., and has a nice informal atmosphere where you can order a variety of delicious small plate options, or just come in for a glass of wine.

TLD: I’ve heard a bit about Chateaulin’s “benefit table” – could you explain how that works?

Patricia: We designate one table in the restaurant as a “benefit table,” and 10% of the gross proceeds from that table over the course of a month are donated to a local charity. Our customers have been really supportive of the idea so far. During our first month, the table raised $1,346 for Faith’s Friends in Central Point. We’ll feature a new nonprofit every month, to help support – and make our patrons more aware of – some of the great charities here in the Rogue Valley.

TLD: Do you use a lot of local ingredients in your menu?

Chad Smith: I try to use as many as local ingredients as I can. We buy fish from Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, salad mix from Barking Moon Farm and mushrooms from Mycoverse, to name just a few. It’s also really nice having the Ashland Growers Market so close by. I regularly stop by the market to pick up fresh, seasonal produce for the restaurant.

Photo: Jared Cruce

TLD: Do you have any dishes that are particular favorites of yours?

Chad: Well – I’m pretty proud of every dish we serve (laughs), but two big customer favorites are our Bouillabaisse and our rack of lamb. I’d also really encourage people to try some of the new dishes we’re in the process of adding to the menu.

TLD: Anything new and exciting coming up that you’d like to share with our readers?

Chad: We’re going to be making a lot of changes to our bistro menu this weekend, so there will be a lot of new dishes for people to try. We also offer a “daily pairing” every day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. You can get a small plate and a glass of wine for just $10 – perfect before an evening at the theatre!