Paul Bachand: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Paul Bachand, owner of Recipe Neighborhood Kitchen. In this interview, Paul describes growing up around food and wine, going to culinary school, which led to moving to Bend, Oregon and working in a French restaurant. He later moved to the Willamette Valley and worked in various restaurants where he met many influential people. Paul then goes on to describe opening Recipe, dealing with a fire in the restaurant, and tells how they recovered from the tragedy. He tells of opening a new restaurant, Bar Deux, and how the two locations are similar and different. Paul gives his vision for his restaurants and the philosophy behind his menu and cooking style. Towards the end of the interview he describes the unique space that Recipe is located in. Next, he gives his perspective on how the industry has changed since he has been in Oregon, and looks to the future of Oregon wine and food. To conclude, Paul gives his perspective of wine’s role in society. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Recipe Neighborhood Kitchen on October 5, 2020.