La Caravelle

La Caravelle was founded September 21, 1960, through the courage and determination of two young French restaurateurs who brought with them one excellent young French chef. The late Robert Meyzen, Fred Decré and chef Roger Fessaguet had all honed their skills under the tutelage of Henri Soulé at Le Pavillon, the French restaurant established in New... York following the 1939-40 World's Fair and the outbreak of World War II. Le Pavillon offered America's first true French restaurant experience, one that would cultivate an unprecedented hunger for fine French cuisine and service in the years to come. During their respective twelve and fifteen years at Le Pavillon, Messrs. Meyzen and Decré became truly great restaurateurs. They developed an illustrious clientele which easily transferred its loyalties to La Caravelle, thanks in part to people such as Mr. Joseph P. Kennedy, who not only sang the praises of the new French restaurant, but supported it as a regular customer. Down through the decades, La Caravelle became one of the most chic dining establishments in New York, the preferred restaurant of luminaries in the worlds of banking, finance, fashion, law and entertainment. Illustrious patrons throughout the years have included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Grace Kelly, Alice Tully, Salvador Dali, Luciano Pavarotti, Vladimir Horowitz, Walter Cronkite, Ralph Lauren and John Fairchild, among others. André Jammet joined La Caravelle as co-owner, along with Roger Fessaguet in 1984, after purchasing the interest of Robert Meyzen (M. Fessaguet replaced M. Decré as partner in 1980). With the retirement of M. Fessaguet in 1988, Rita Jammet joined her husband as an active member of La Caravelle's management team. Together, husband and wife brought lightness and warmth to this venerable dining establishment. Knowing the value of tradition in the dining room as well as the kitchen, they elected to freshen rather than change the look of La Caravelle, refurbishing the beautiful Jean Pags murals, changing the color scheme of the ...Read More