Sylvain Denis General Manager and Co-owner

Like his brother, Chef David, Sylvain Denis was born and raised in the Provence region of France, in the French Riviera town of Le Revest les Eaux. His first taste of restaurant life was through his grandmother, Mémé, in her brasserie in La Seyne, and at his mother’s restaurant in Le Revest les Eaux. Although he is deeply entrenched in the restaurant business now, his first interest was architecture, which was his course of study in college. Prior to coming to Houston to establish Le Mistral with his brother, Sylvain worked as a project manager for three years with Eiffage 2000 Fougerolle Group, a leading construction and civil engineering group in France. He directly applied his architectural experience and education into the first design of Le Mistral’s new location, and worked alongside David to capture its sophisticated French atmosphere.

Sylvain’s background isn’t limited to architecture, however; he received extensive training at Prom’Hote School of Le Manoir. He then went on to work as a waiter at the Château de la Chèvre d’Or in Eze, then at the four-star La Scala restaurant at Hôtel Noga Hilton resort in  Cannes as Chef de Rang and eventually as Sommelier. He has applied his extensive restaurant experience and vast knowledge of wine to build Le Mistral’s wine collection into one of the highest rated in Houston. He also manages the front of the house at Le Mistral and has played a significant role in its continued success.

Sylvain Denis caters to the wine connoisseur, as well as those who aspire to become one. Applying his formal training and experience as a Sommelier, Sylvain has assembled one of the most outstanding collections of French wines in Houston. Châteaux from the well-known regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy are complemented by a wide variety of wines from the Côtes du Rhone, Provence, Languedoc, Roussillon and Alsace. Sylvain is available most nights to help with the selection and has a true talent for perfectly matching your wine preference to enhance your meal. He and Chef David showcase their combined talent each month with wine dinners that highlight specially selected vintages that exquisitely complement four- and five-course meals.