When Coterie opens its doors at Cathedral Hill in San Francisco next year, it will arguably offer one of the neighborhood’s most successful dining establishments in recent years. But its farm-to-table menu, champagne brunches, chef pop-ups and Michelin-starred bar program will only be accessible to a select few – the senior residents of Coterie.

San Francisco is the first location of Coterie, a new luxury seniors’ residence born out of a partnership between real estate company Related and Kentucky-based senior housing development company Atria. Coterie Cathedral Hill, at 1001 Van Ness Avenue, is a 208-unit complex that will open in March 2022; the second development is rightly planned for the Hudson Yards development in Manhattan. So how does a retirement home, even though it charges between $ 8,000 and $ 25,000 per month and offers amenities such as drivers, on-site hair salons, and fitness centers run by the Mayo Clinic , can she create a gastronomic program that changes the industry?

They poach a well-known local chef. “These are the people I’ve been cooking for 20 years in San Francisco,” says chef David Lawrence, who has joined La Coterie to serve as director of food and beverage. “They are my customers. They are growing up gracefully and still want to eat good food, and I want to help them, ”he says. Lawrence is an acclaimed chef who started his career in the Bay Area at 231 Ellsworth Restaurant in San Mateo before opening his own 1300 Fillmore and Black Bark BBQ restaurants in the Fillmore, which closed in 2017 and 2018 respectively. in the United States in the late 1980s, Lawrence made a name for himself in his native London, working alongside the Roux brothers in their various British restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Le Gavroche and the Waterside Inn.

This experience was key to Chad Welch, the executive chef of the larger Atria group, who was born and raised in East Bay, and is a longtime friend of Lawrence. Welch has been working on Coterie for three years, he says, and knew he wanted Lawrence on board to help shape the dining room. “He’s been a lifelong mentor of mine, and whether he commits or not he will participate,” Welch says. “You know what the bosses are like. We have that kind of friendship where we take care of each other, we call each other for advice. I thought of him right away.

Welch says La Coterie is inspired by a new American bistro, “thoughtful cuisine based on local inspirations,” which uses the best seasonal ingredients from around the world – not just the bay. “You will be able to see elements of David’s influence – this premium Michelin experience – throughout our various dining experiences while also understanding that this is where our residents live,” Welch said. “So besides being able to have caviar service at the bar one evening, you can also get grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch.”

Dinner at La Coterie, open only to residents and guests, will include a few options “unlike any other residential dining program,” says Lawrence. There will be a fixed-price revolving menu every night, in addition to separate, more cafeteria-like options such as dishes from a wok station, although everything is table service. “You can be sitting across from someone eating a burger while you eat a dry-aged rib eye and someone else at the table eats a plate of noodle from the wok station,” says Welch. A small restaurant on the same floor will focus on San Francisco favorites for breakfast and lunch, serving iconic local fare like cioppino, clam chowder, and Louie crab, and of course, a full menu will be available. for room service. Of all the dishes he’s worked on for the restaurant, Chef Lawrence says he’s the most enthusiastic about seafood bouillabaisse. “I can’t wait to bring it out,” he says.

Coterie has partnered with Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji of Miura Vineyards in Napa to organize the wine list, which will feature some of his own wines, as well as to collaborate with Lawrence on Winemaker’s Dinners. For winegrowers’ dinners, “David will have carte blanche to do whatever he wants and associate it with Emmanuel’s collections,” says Welch. Dinners will be event-based, organized by the restaurant for a special occasion or a holiday, but can also be requested and hosted by a resident.

“We’re going to serve the San Francisco natives who have dined at the best restaurants their entire lives,” Lawrence said. “We want residents and visitors to enjoy a meal that would be equivalent to any other dining experience in San Francisco – it really is that simple. ”