Notre Histoire
À Montmartre
When I was young, I spent a great deal of time in cafés, probably more time than I spent in school. I was fascinated by the life inside them: the owners, the servers, the regulars, the noise. In those days, the café was everything. It was where people laughed, argued, and lived. The people behind the counter were more than café owners. They were the papa du quartier.
They knew everybody. They created a world.
Le Rêve
Very early on, I knew that one day I wanted to create a place like that. I started young, serving in cafés before moving to California at 18. Life took me in other directions for many years, but the dream never left me. I missed that world: the smell of bread in the morning, the sound of cups on zinc counters, a proper jambon-fromage, a café crème, and a glass of rosé at lunch.
Les Premiers Pas
From the beginning, MOULIN was a family story. Sophie, my high school love from Montmartre, and our daughter Kaya believed in this dream to bring a piece of old Paris to Orange County. In 2014, we opened the first MOULIN in Newport Beach. It was the beginning of something deeply personal… A place shaped by a distant memory, a love for hospitality, and trust in the traditional.
L’Univers MOULIN
Over the years, we grew from one café with a few pastries for sale to seven cafés, a boulangerie, and patisserie. Then came bouillon, our revival of the Parisian bouillon dining style: a lively brasserie open for lunch and dinner. With Maison, we extended the MOULIN lifestyle beyond the café, importing curated pieces of France into people’s homes through antiques, tableware, and iconic furnishings like Gatti chairs. Each place has its own identity, but they all share the same intention to provide not just a product, but an experience. Today, MOULIN is a rendez-vous for all: a place to gather, to slow down, and to enjoy a little bit of France.
MOULIN is my Montmarte, shared with you here in Orange County.
