Jean Matocq left his home in the Pyrenees for Paris at age sixteen. While studying the hotel business at the Paris hotel School, he worked as a busboy, assistant waiter, chef de rang, and sommelier.
Jean came to the United States and made his way to San Francisco in 1958. He joined the staff at the legendary San Francisco restaurant Trader Vic's, where for twelve years he worked as a captain and maƮtre d'.
Striking out on his own, Jean Matocq owned restaurants and motels in Washington State, at