La Toque, Napa
Ask 10 people how to pronounce “toque,” and you’ll get as many answers as there are pleats in a chef’s hat. For the record, it rhymes with “oak”—the Merriam‑Webster entry lists pronunciations *\ˈtōk* and *\ˈtoʊk*, while the Cambridge dictionary gives the British təʊk and American toʊk. However you say it, a toque blanche (French for “white hat”) is the towering, pleated crown that’s to chefs what a tiara is to a monarch: an emblem of authority, hygiene and savoir‑faire.
The word toque itself has Arabic roots meaning simply “hat,” and it became fashionable in France during the 1800s when legendary chef Marie‑Antoine Carême introduced a white, flat‑topped toque as part of his crisp uniform. Carême chose white to signal cleanliness and professionalism, and the hat’s height soon denoted rank—the taller the toque, the higher the kitchen hierarchy.
A persistent culinary myth suggests that the 100 pleats represented 100 ways to cook an egg, reminding apprentices to keep scrambling until they reach mastery. In practice, the hat kept hair and sweat out of the soup and provided ventilation—lofty form meeting utilitarian function.
Fast‑forward a few centuries, and Napa Valley’s La Toque restaurant embraces this history with panache. Chef/owner Ken Frank founded the first incarnation in Los Angeles in 1979 and moved it to Napa in 1998; today, it sits in the Westin Verasa hotel, where Frank still leads the kitchen. The restaurant held a Michelin star for 14 consecutive years through 2021, and its 2,300‑selection wine cellar received Wine Spectator’s Grand Award. North Bay Bohemian readers frequently vote Frank as Best Chef, and many locals consider La Toque the finest dining room in town.
Naming a restaurant after the toque is inspired marketing. It hints at classical technique while inviting playful wordplay—diners “tip their hat” to a kitchen that knows how to top itself. — Weeklys Staff
La Toque, 314 McKinstry St., Napa. 707.257.5157. latoque.com.
