About
OUR STORY
The Winemaker’s son & the Butcher’s daughter…
Julien was born in Libourne, a small town in the southwest of France. He grew up in the vineyard of his parents until he was 10 years old before moving to Paso Robles, with his family. His father became one of the greatest pioneers of winemaking in the area, with his winery L’Aventure. At 16 he decided to move back to France to follow his culinary school education at the Lycee Hotelier de Gascogne near Bordeaux. After finishing culinary school he moved to Paris to work at La Fontaine de Mars as a commis, then chef de partie.
Courtney was born and raised in the foothills of North Carolina. Her family owns Mays Meat Processing in Taylorsville, NC. It’s one of the last, family owned slaughterhouses and butcher shops in the southeast. In her younger days, she wanted to be an actress. She studied film acting at the New York Film Academy in NYC, and later graduated from UNLV in Theatre Studies. Being in that industry wasn’t easy, and she worked many restaurant and bar jobs. She may not have chosen the hospitality industry in the beginning, but it ended up choosing her, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
After a couple years of working in Paris, Julien decided to move back to California where he was a pastry chef at a restaurant in LA. This restaurant did not stay open long enough to name it in this biography, but it is where he met the love of his life, a charming Southern girl from North Carolina, named Courtney. She worked as a server at the restaurant with Julien for several months until it closed. He charmed her with his big blue eyes, accent, and many samples of gelato. After it closed, Julien got an offer to work for Rick Moonen in Las Vegas.
Julien and Courtney moved to Vegas in 2008 and the rest was history. They both excelled in the hospitality and culinary world. Julien worked for Joel Robuchon for 4 years as a sous chef, until he made his way to Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesar’s Palace. Courtney worked behind the bar at Todd English and later took over as bar manager of DB Brasserie, by Daniel Boulud. While Julien made his way up to Executive Chef of Guy Savoy, Courtney made 2 babies and a home for them in Las Vegas.
Courtney and Julien always loved hosting people at their house for whole pig BBQs or paella. Entertaining and hospitality is part of their souls.. While they often visited Paso Robles to spend time with Julien’s family, they always dreamed of someday leaving Vegas and opening their own restaurant here. For years people didn’t question whether or not they would ever do it, but it was a matter of when.
That is our backstory, and this is our home now. Les Petites Canailles translates to English as “the little rascals,” which represents our 3 children, Margaux, Maddox, and Phoenix. Welcome to our house!
Courtney & Julien Asseo
