On a quiet cobblestoned side street north of Les Halles in Paris, a veritable food revolution is happening thanks to chef Greg Marchand’s game-changing restaurant, Frenchie. Here are some of his most inspired and deeply original recipes, dishes that are radiant not just in color but in flavor, and filled with alluring hints of international influences. Chutneys, pestos, and flavored vinaigrettes take the place of heavier and more traditional French fare, and the juxtaposition of ingredients (watermelon with ricotta salata; roasted carrots with oranges and avocado; raw baby turnips and juicy pears) adds energy to a once hidebound bistro tradition. To the question “Is there anything new under the sun?” Frenchie answers, unequivocally, “Yes!”

Raised in an orphanage, where he would take refuge in the kitchen to avoid the rough-and-tumble of the yard, Greg Marchand started cooking as a teenager and completed culinary school in France. But then, with no one and nothing to keep him there, he left to cook in the great kitchens of the world, from Gramercy Tavern in New York to the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. Six years ago, he returned home to become one of the most talked-about chefs in Paris. His food is an exceptional amalgam of French technique, reverence for fine product, and the best and most interesting flavours and methods he encountered during the 12 years he spent cooking around the world. His game-changing restaurant, Frenchie, has breathed new life into the French bistro scene, with food that is so exuberant, so interesting, that Anthony Bourdain has shot a No Reservations segment there. And it's where those in the know, including Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl, go to eat while in Paris.