ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Three new chefs at Bistro on the Boulevard located in the Boulevard Inn, St. Joseph, recently released their new spring/summer menus.

“We are bringing traditional French cooking to this corner of the state,” said Executive Chef Cheyenne Galbraith. “But we are also being adventurous.”

Galbraith, along with her new Sous Chef James Galbraith and Pastry Chef Mandy Krause, say they are creating menu choices not offered elsewhere in the area. They plan to use the region’s freshest ingredients, purchasing from select local farms and creating flavor combinations that are simultaneously unexpected, yet delicious.

“Eating at the Bistro will be extra fun for people who aren’t afraid to try new things,” said Cheyenne. “It’s the experience foodies have been looking for in our area.”

The new lunch menu includes a selection of small plates, soups, salads and entrees featuring such choices as pate du jour, piccolo frito, burrata cheese, baby beets salad, steak and hand-cut frites, hot pressed ham and gruyere and cornmeal crusted po’boy with remoulade. Dinner choices include duck confit rillettes, roasted wild mushrooms, roasted carrots salad, rack of lamb, cast iron bone-in ribeye steak, mussels, Scottish salmon and crispy skin duck breast with ancho chili honey. Cheyenne said they will augment the menu with seasonal specials and events.

“We have one of the most distinguished wine, craft brewery and spirits lists to pair with our foods,” said Cheyenne. She cited that Wine Spectator has given the Bistro its coveted award of excellence for “one of the best restaurant wine lists in the world.” She added that the staff, headed by Maitre d’ Samer Badreddine, is very knowledgeable about the selections when guests seek advice.

As the Bistro’s new executive chef, Cheyenne is a familiar name in southwest Michigan’s epicurean circles. Most recently she was event manager at Shadowland on Silver Beach, St. Joseph, and lead cook at the Mendel Center, Lake Michigan College, Benton Harbor, Michigan. But she credits her technique and desire to bring adventurous food choices to the region with working five years alongside seven-time James Beard Nominee for Best Chef in the Southwest, Jennifer James, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Jennifer James has created restaurants that are travel destinations for people who truly appreciate excellent cuisine,” she said. “My hope is to replicate that experience here.”

Assisting Cheyenne is her brother James who brings nearly a decade of experience to the Bistro’s kitchen. He draws his inspiration and techniques from renowned French Chefs Jacques Pepin and Paul Bocuse. Most recently he worked under regionally acclaimed Chef Tim Foley at the Bread+Bar in Benton Harbor. He specializes in foods that demand painstaking preparation and slow cooking and will continue to build his reputation with his braised meats, homemade sausages, duck, cheeses and pasta.

Krause is a graduate of The French Pastry School in Chicago and has studied her craft around the Midwest. She worked as an assistant to world-renowned pastry chef Chris Hamner, the youngest chef to win a world pastry championship and the winner of “Top Chef: Just Desserts II.” Prior to joining the Bistro, Krause was pastry chef for The Carriage House in South Bend, Indiana and the Inn at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor. The Bistro will serve her French mini-macarons to each guest at the end of each dinner but will also offer several sweet confections such as slices of carrot cake, chocolate cake with mascarpone and red raspberry jam filling and caramel au lait in a chocolate crust.

Badreddine rounds out the culinary team. He has welcomed and served guests at the Bistro since 2010. His staffing and training skills have helped the restaurant earn numerous awards including “Best Sunday Brunch in southwest Michigan” by The Herald-Palladium, “20 Greatest Getaways” by Midwest Living, “Regions Best Fine Dining Restaurant” by Shore Magazine and the aforementioned Wine Spectator award. Badreddine is also well known in the community for volunteering at fundraisers for breast cancer research, autism, 100 Women Strong, Lory’s Place and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra.

“We bring to the table foods and beverages you will savor, unhurried,” said Cheyenne. “Our hope is when you finish your meal, that you’ll crave coming back.”

The Bistro on the Boulevard is located at 521 Lake Blvd. on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week, and brunch on Sundays. Table seating is available year round in the dining room and seasonally on the open-air veranda. Dress is casual. The Bistro also caters special celebrations, meetings and wedding gatherings for up to 40 guests. For more information or reservations, visit theboulevardinn.com, facebook.com/theboulevardinn or call (269) 983-3882.