Creativity, Community, and Cuisine: The Heart of Monet’s Bistro

What happens when a couple transforms their love for food, travel and community into a thriving bistro? Jennifer Davis and Miguel Pujol not only embraced their culinary passions, but also infused them with their artistic vision, creating a unique dining experience at Monet's Bistro, a beautiful restaurant that celebrates local ingredients, artists, and wines with fantastic mountain views. 

Jennifer and Miguel's story is a testament to the power of creativity, resilience, and the magic that happens when two people share their dreams.

 With a menu that reflects the vibrant spirit of Tulare County, they remind us that food is more than sustenance. It's a way to connect, share, and create lasting memories. 

Welcome to Plated, a podcast that explores how food gets on your plate. I'm your host, Sonia Mehrmand, and together we'll learn more about the agricultural landscape, food producers, restaurants, and eaters that make up Tulare County.

We'll delve into the inspiring story of Jennifer and Miguel as they navigate the culinary landscape of our region and share their vision for bringing art and flavor to the table

Transcript

 📍 ​

 What happens when a couple transforms their love for food? travel and community into a thriving bistro.  Jennifer Davis and Miguel Puyol not only embraced their culinary passions, but also infused them with their artistic vision, creating a unique dining experience at Monet's Bistro, a beautiful restaurant that celebrates local ingredients, artists, and wines with fantastic mountain views. 

Jennifer and Miguel's story is a testament to the power of creativity, resilience, and the magic that happens when two people share their dreams.

 With a menu that reflects the vibrant spirit of Tulare County, they remind us that food is more than sustenance. It's a way to connect, share, and create lasting memories. 

  📍 welcome to Plated, a podcast that explores how food gets on your plate. I'm your host, Sonia Mehmand, and together we'll learn more about the agricultural landscape, food producers, restaurants, and eaters that make up Tulare County.

 Today, we'll delve into the inspiring story of Jennifer and Miguel as they navigate the culinary landscape of our region and share their vision for bringing art and flavor to the table. 

 I guess, you were kind of telling me a bit about the origin story. of you guys as a couple, but how about Monet's and how, it evolved 

So this building was owned by the Masons while I had our cafe across the street.  I was doing a lot of baking and we didn't have any space to store anything. You couldn't even buy one case of cups. You had to have one sleeve of cups.

 That one I opened in 1998. It closed just a couple of years ago now. 

 It was called 

Wildflower Cafe and we had a great time in there. I had it for 11 years and then it closed. One of my employees bought it from me.

during the recession, I had already opened Monet's, which I'll get to in a minute, and I had to give up something during that time. It was really rough. she bought it from me, and she it for another 12 years, and then sold it just this last year or somebody. 

And what brought you to Monet's? 

I was looking for a place to do some baking and so the Masons Came to me and said our buildings available. Would you like it? And at that time I had just had a baby he was cradled in my arms and They said just take the keys  So they gave me the keys, which was what really did me in.

I had the keys and I had the baby and I came over here and thought, there's a lot of potential. So I thought, okay, I could get a loan from the bank and build a kitchen just for baking.  

So it hadn't been used in a lot of time. Okay. This place where we're sitting was an office. So there was a wall where you are You know, I had a green telephone sitting here. It just hadn't been touched in years.

Mm hmm. Very retro. And then I decided, why not just put a little wine bar in the front?   And I thought a wine bar would be easy in the front just selling cheeses and wines and maybe paninis.  



I had a chef here who  could do so much more. And so started making more things, soups, beef, Wellingtons, and everything you could think of beyond what our kitchen was capable of. We didn't have a proper kitchen or hood or anything. So for eight years we managed that way. 

The menu kept expanding. I had no intention of owning my own full service restaurant. but then it grew to the point where we had to completely remodel So we remodeled the office into a proper kitchen. and then we added a second dining room, which is behind this wall right here



Was there anything like that in Exeter before? 

No. 

And people would say, do you think Exeter is ready?

And I'd say, are you kidding? Of course they are. They're sitting at home wishing somebody was doing this.  but I'm from the Bay area originally. And so I was used to having options and places to go. So I was excited to have something like that. So we got the building, we got the loan and we built the kitchen.

When it came to building the wine bar space, we just had this front dining room. this was it. And it's really tiny and I wanted it to be really intimate. I really enjoy the French and European cafes. My parents were living in Belgium and then in France.

I got to see many beautiful cafes and the sprawling cafes in the streets where you can have your beer or your espresso. I just love that. So that was the idea. That's what I was trying to capture.

at one point I had, been in Paris for just two days and I ran by a cafe that looked so beautiful I didn't have time to stop there, but I thought, man, it's so beautiful. That's what I want this place to look like. since then we finally made it to Paris to that cafe and i've now been in there.

This place came together not because We had a designer involved, but we had all these beautiful artisans who just said okay you need to Start with the copper ceiling.

A friend of mine told me that. To me, it looks like a Belgian chocolate bar.

So that set the tone for the room. we brought the brown colors down and took off the, drop ceiling made this interesting space at the top. . then they did this awesome painting technique.

 was really fun to see it come together. That was in, 2007. 

No, 2006 because I opened in 2007. 

Okay.  

So what happened next was I had an artist friend, Beth Hart, who I said, can you just do a sepia countryside on the top?

Maybe a French countryside. And she literally was on a ladder holding a book in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. And she painted all those monuments by hand. Just freestyle. 

Wow. I feel like community has been a big part of Monet's, since the onset, even just the bones of this space. you guys do a lot of events like the olivaya tasting and I see on your Instagram, you have local wineries come. So what's the role of community in your menu as well?

I feel like we exist for the community, right? And so it has to appeal to their senses. keeping activities coming that are unique and different keeps everybody interested. we started with wine tasting right away. we had wine tasting nights once a month, faithfully, for a good 12 years.

The wine tasting nights were super important. They were four course dinners. We always had a wine rep or an owner or a winemaker here to explain the wines. It was so much fun. that went all the way until COVID hit. only now we're beginning to rebuild those wine nights. 

Where do you guys see yourselves in the food chain of this region and also in relationship to those producers that you have those partnerships with?

since COVID we added, A seasonal part to our menu, so that we could use some of the growers that are here. We, get some of our fruit from Vanita Packing. a lot of our customers are growers of all kinds of things, and they bring us things. They'll bring us cases of peaches, kiwis, or persimmons.

So it's been really fun to incorporate those things into the menu. Mostly because it's our customers who also bring it up. 

Right, so we have two sets of customers.  The farmers, the ranchers from around here are the core of our people, and they're so awesome during COVID, we had such great support because a lot of restaurants went down during COVID, right?

 I'm from Argentina, and Argentina takeout is huge. Not just pizza and Chinese, like here, they're the main takeout. So we got together and through some friends and making quick decisions, we turn it into a takeout model really quick.

Our customers were such a blessing.

They really supported us and kept saying, we don't want you guys to go out of business. they were ordering and we thought, let's change this negative situation into something positive So we post on Instagram. what we were going to be serving each night and people call, place an order make a line outside and come one at a time to the counter, pick up their food we would have flowers, candles, and we would write sweet notes, 

The main one was take Monet's home. take advantage of this time to bring back the importance of eating together with your family So don't just eat it in the living room watching tv set up a nice table Put the flowers the candles and people love that.  We did really good during covid and people were very generous So that goes with what you were saying, but we also are at the entrance of the national park another big part of our customers are The tourists from all over the world 

 

and so from spring to fall, it's so fun every night we're talking to people from Spain, from Japan, from England, 

 You must approach your menu in a way that you have to balance, right, the local community and then tourists coming in, how does that affect the way you approach creating your menu, or does it?

we didn't say that we're a French restaurant, we might have a French motif, but it says Monet's. If anything, we would call it a European Bistro, so that way we have the flexibility to put on the menu what we think would be fun for tourists to have as well as locals. that's worked really well for us.

But the tourists, find us, and It's a surprise to find a restaurant like ours in this small town. they say, Wow, finally some good food. We're so tired of and french fries. when you're a tourist and you're traveling, that's what you find.

You're on the freeway. Yeah, you 

don't have time to dig deep and find the small little restaurants. That's true. So they're super grateful. And I feel like the name carries that feeling for a tourist. They say, Oh, it's Monet's. Okay, that might have potential. 



I think that works really well for us. 

Where did the name come from? what inspired you? 

Well, I've always loved Monet as an artist. So I've been a fan and when it came to me, I realized, okay, that is a perfect name that most people can say. It is French. 

Monet himself loved to cook and entertain. so I thought, okay, a little art and entertainment, we can put that together. that's how I came. 

Did you go to his home when you were in France?

I have been there, yes. 

It's beautiful, one of those blue kitchens. 

Lots of copper. Oh, my gosh. 

If you ever go to Mexico City. Go to Frida Kahlo's house and go to her kitchen. I cried. Really? I didn't want to leave. It's so pretty. 

Something about artists kitchens. The way they approach food. So, you mentioned that you had a restaurant in Argentina. 

Right. 

What was that restaurant like? have you brought elements of that here? 

So, it's funny because when we met casually And she told me that she had a restaurant. I said, what type?

And she said, Oh, wow. I've had something similar in Argentina. so, you know, it sparked some curiosity. I lived in Visalia. She was here in Exeter. a few months later I had to come visit a customer in Exeter. I remember meeting her and I thought, what was the name of the restaurant? And I couldn't remember, but Exeter is so small.

I started walking around and sure enough, I found it. And she was here. when I walked in, I had goosebumps because The color of my restaurant was almost identical, the same chairs, the wooden chairs, the tables, the way it's set up, and even a lot of the menu. it was incredible. it just happened.

I didn't have to incorporate anything.  It was already here.  

so the restaurant you had in Argentina was kind of European wine bistro kind of.  Nice. Wow. Yes, so rather 

he adds with his own character. He's so good at talking to people at the tables, engaging with people, and making people feel really special.

so that's been a huge blessing  

that's the core, the heart of Monet's. I didn't start that. Jen started that. when I started coming, Because there was a little interest. I come and sit at the bar and we talk 

And 

I was shocked how many people Will come and give her a hug coming or going.

Yeah, and you 

don't see that often here 

But 

everybody treated her like family and vice versa. she did a great job from the beginning Connecting with the customers and that makes all the difference in the world.  

now 

We believe that a lot of people come to eat and enjoy but also to see us and hang out with us 

Yeah, there's 

so many people just want to sit at the bar so they can talk to us.



Yeah, I feel like that's such an overlooked part. It's called hospitality for a reason, right? you want to linger you want to stay, you want to feel 

very welcome. 

Yeah, that's definitely something that I feel nowadays people are trying to get people out, you know and fill their seats it's a lost art.

Exactly. I 

think in the restaurant business there's three main elements you have to accomplish the atmosphere, the service, and the quality of the food. So we work really hard at making sure we're hitting all those three all the time many times the one element that restaurants miss is the hospitality some have nice service, but we like to add that touch of being there talking to people.



I mean you're kind of recreating that atmosphere of the French cafes the European cafes that are their meeting points for the community.

We like that our tables are so close together  if everyone's willing you can make nice conversations with your neighbors. Leave with new friends. 

What's the future like for MONEZ? What do you see, growing or changing?

I have a project I really want the city to support. I've been asking for a while to take the two parking places outside so we can build an outdoor patio. you can picture it with lights black and white umbrellas and plants. make it a permanent fixture so it becomes something awesome again for Exeter.

we have one of the best views of the big orange harvest mural. I feel like that would be the best Spot to sit and people watch. Especially since we've lost wildflower, which also has a courtyard. hopefully the city will be amiable to this. 



 So what's your favorite thing to eat at Monet's? 

 The croque monsieur.

 So It's an open faced sandwich. Ours has ham and tomato in this lovely creamy,  sauce made with Swiss cheese. And it's delicious. So good. I love that one.

And I like to eat the specials because, those come and go.  We try to come up with creative specials all the time. so you gotta enjoy it while it's out there for a week or two weeks. 

So, we didn't talk about the Lavender Brie. We should talk about that. tell me, tell me. what other projects do you have? So, theme here, of course.  That comes from the French lavender, Lavender Brie has been on our menu for most of the years we've been open, which we're in our 17th year now.

So, it's this lovely warming brie that was on a table on a warmer with this honey lavender sauce over the top. And you just spread that on a fresh baguette. It's pretty awesome with a glass of wine. The other lavender things we have, lavender cheesecake is our other top seller. We've been making that all the years.

And those are ordered so frequently. They're going out whole all the time. And I have a Lavender Italian Soda. a Lavender Cocktail, Lavender Honey Cocktail. So definitely a Lavender theme. 





  I know you've got this other  lavender side of the business, right? When did that start? 

So that was a COVID project.

I had these ideas and then I had the time to do them. during that time, we came up with at least 10 different products. we were selling them here and in Cambria and in Clovis and Visalia. But now we've boiled it down to  lavender coffee, which is  our main project it's been received really well.

we hope to work on that one a lot this year. 

Are you selling it online currently? Yes. 

Go to the yours truly lavender Instagram page.  

What else do you want to move on to next besides coffee? 

So we also have a tea, we call it adventure tea, that has lavender of course, a blend of different teas.



It's based on the argentine mate.  But for me, it was too strong to be drinking in the afternoons We thought it would be fun to add a lot of things so it has mint chamomile and lavender But you can still enjoy it in a gourd if you want to do it the traditional way 

so in argentina people drink that every single day two or three times a day, right? We were not that fanatics, but every time we go To the mountains or to the coast when we're driving then we take our mat and we drink it 

and so we use our blend that is a little milder then we can share with other people because the Argentine mate can be pretty strong, 





I love the lavender thing. I think that it's so overlooked and people either overdo it or underdo it with floral things.

I love orange blossom in tea but it has to be subtle. it's great that you're balancing those flavors, like with the cheesecake. I feel like that's such a great vehicle for lavender because dairy can make anything taste amazing and be such a nice match, 

are there any other ingredients that you kind of have your eye on in the future that you want to  experiment with?  

We did have some olive oil from Tehachapi, It was a lavender olive oil.

Oh, cool. And we want to play with that one again. That was really good.  

one that is popular, that also we're going to develop some more, is the honey infused with lavender. we have a friend that is a beekeeper, so we buy the honey from him and we infuse it with lavender. 

We're busy here with a few other things that we do, so it's a slow process, but  we'll get there. 

  📍 Think it's amazing to hear the journey of this place, from  bakery, wine bar, restaurant. It really goes to show, You don't need to have it all figured out from the beginning, I think that's a trap that a lot of creative folks have.

You have to evolve and,  let the people tell you what they need.

 That was Jennifer Davis and Miguel Puyol of Monet's Bistro and Exeter. You can find them on Instagram where you can also purchase their lavender coffee.  we wrap up, I want to give a special shout out to Miguel's artistic talent.

Be sure to check out his creations on Instagram at the underscore rugged underscore llama. And of course, please go and visit Monet's Bistro in Exeter. It's located in their downtown and be sure to pick up a croque monsieur.  That's all for today's episode of Plated.

Stay tuned for our next episode where we'll continue to explore how Tulare County's food gets plated.  This episode was produced and edited by me, Sonia Mehmand, with  support from Nasir Jubaili. Be sure to subscribe for more stories from the heart of California's agricultural community. And until then, stay hungry and savor the stories all around you.