2 Chefs Missing From California Surface in France

Two chefs who vanished after shutting down a popular restaurant last August have surfaced in rural France, according to a newspaper report.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat said Wednesday that Charlene and Vernon Rollins are living in a crumbling chateau in Auvergne and plan to open a few rooms to guests.

The whereabouts of the Rollinses had been a mystery since they abruptly shut the New Boonville Hotel restaurant in Mendocino County’s rural Anderson Valley just days before state inspectors sought misdemeanor arrest warrants involving labor laws.

Their departure baffled their devoted following among the food and wine set, stunned unpaid workers and angered investors.

The newspaper based its report on a telephone interview with Marie-Christine Clement, an acquaintance of the Rollinses and operator of a restaurant about 100 miles south of Paris.

The French woman and her husband had met the Rollinses briefly at the New Boonville three years ago. She said the Rollinses visited their restaurant in September.

She said the Americans have formed a partnership with a French couple who own the chateau. All four plan to live there, she said, opening a few rooms for overnight guests and serving a limited number of meals.

The Rollinses are sticking to their dream of a simple life, according to a message the Clements received from them earlier this month. She said that Charlene Rollins had been pregnant in September and that her message said she had had a son and was doing well.