French Laundry chef wants Napa to wait on affordable housing

He wants to give it more time to simmer.

Thomas Keller, the maestro chef behind the famed French Laundry eatery in Northern California, is calling for a Wine Country affordable housing project to be put on the back burner.

Town officials in Yountville need to do more outreach in the wealthy Napa County community before they move forward on the project, said to be worth up to $60 million, Keller and Arik Housley, owner of Yountville’s local store Ranch Market, argued in a news release last week.

“Housing only works if it actually works for the people who live and work here,” Keller said in the news release, first reported by The Press Democrat.

“Before Yountville commits to a project of this size and cost, it’s reasonable — and responsible — to slow down and make sure the fundamentals are right.”

Well-do-to Yountville is where Keller whipped up French Laundry, his iconic restaurant that presently holds three Michelin stars.

Keller’s call to let the proposed Yountville Commons project cook a little longer came ahead of a planned Town Council meeting on Tuesday.

The workforce housing project would bring between 120 and 150 rental homes to the site of a former elementary school.

Town leaders have held nearly two-dozen meetings over the past two years as the project percolated, Town Manager Brad Raulston told The Press Democrat.

“After 23 public meetings and with key decisions like unit mix still being actively studied, we believe the responsible path is to continue the transparent process that has brought us here, not to pause it,” Raulston told the outlet.

“The town will continue to listen to the community as funding and phasing decisions are made by elected officials in line with established priorities, adopted plans, and voter mandates.”

Raulston didn’t return The Post’s request for further comment.

The news release by Keller and Housley raised concerns that the project’s current plans include too many studio units — a “studio-heavy, dormitory-style approach” unsuitable for workers, SFGate reported.

They also winced at Yountville acting as the project’s developer, especially since it carries a price tag between $40 million and $60 million, according to the report.

“That means we owe it to the community to fully understand the financial exposure before moving ahead,” Housley reportedly said.

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