Café Rolle is closed but chef’s chicken pate recipe will help bring back memories

Remember way back in January when we faced a wave (wavelet, really) of restaurants closing and many were upset? One Bee headline even referred to it as a restaurant bloodbath.

With restaurant closures spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, we may sadly face many, many more closings of beloved spots. It’s still worth grieving those the restaurants and cafes that our community lost in early 2020 (June’s Café, Jim Denny’s and Café Marika among them), but at least one chef doesn’t want anyone crying for him.

When reached recently for an interview, William Rolle’s musical French accent trills out of the phone as loudly as if we were back in his café. The only thing lacking is his loud humming as he swooped from place to place in the open kitchen, gracefully dodging servers and prep cooks in the tiny bustling space. Oh, and the food is missing. The simple, delicious French food.

When Café Rolle opened in 2002, everyone loved the story of the Frenchman bringing the fare of his home country to East Sacramento. Even better that he comes from a line of grocers in Lyon (a city sometimes known as “the stomach of France”); his parents also sell foie gras and smoked salmon, as William did at his café.

After a recent trip, he realized it was time to close the café. The storefront has been dark ever since, and in this time of uncertainty, one can’t help but wonder if this slow food spot — at which many a lunchtime table was enjoying a glass (or two) of French wine — would have been able to pivot to takeout.

But Rolle the man is still here, in fact he has only moved a few blocks, to where he now staffs the deli at Corti Brothers grocery store. He enumerates the food items he now sells, “the ham, the pastrami, the cheese, olives — I do no cooking, this is great!”

After 17 years of the slog of running a small restaurant, Rolle is very happy to work a shift and leave his work worries behind. At Café Rolle, which he says was “24/7”, he lacked the ability to compartmentalize, which he now has. “I go to work, I love the job, and I’m done,” he said. “Enjoy your job, and then enjoy your life!”

The one thing he did miss during his employment hiatus was chatting with his customers, especially the Francophiles to whom he could speak French. He has that back, and he hopes to stay for “the next 20 years”.

We may miss Café Rolle more than William Rolle does, but he’s shared a recipe for his chicken breast pate and his signature salad dressing so you can try to recreate the experience in your shelter-in-place. He recommends making the pate into a sandwich on a crusty French loaf, with butter and cornichon, or make a warm version with gruyere warmed, open-faced in the toaster oven (add mayo and Dijon mustard before serving), and of course some dressed fresh greens on the side. The humming you will have to do yourself.

Chicken pate

1 pound chicken (skinless, boneless breast)

1/8 pound bread (crust intact)

4 ounces plain goat cheese

3 eggs

3/4 cup half and half

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence spice mix

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

▪ Preheat oven to 350

▪ Put bread in shallow bowl and add just enough half and half to cover, leave 10 minutes in refrigerator

▪ Mix bread and all other ingredients in food processor until blended

▪ Oil loaf pan and bake until the pate reaches 160 degrees in the middle

Dijon dressing

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cups neutral oil (such as canola)

Mix everything together, keep in the fridge up to two weeks

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Café Rolle is closed but chef’s chicken pate recipe will help bring back memories."