L’art de vivre à la française

From Paris to Palm Trees: A New French Restaurant in Florida

By McKenna Mears | Photography by Guillaume Lechat

With the warm glow of gold mirrors, small tables close together inviting lively conversations between patrons, and the lilting melodies of French chansons, it’s a little slice of France right in Florida. Renaissance French Restaurant, brought to life by French owners Natasha and Melvil Arnt, is the realization of their dream to open a French restaurant in the area. Their goal is to offer guests the best of what France has to offer: impeccable service from friendly and knowledgeable servers and perfectly executed dishes made with quality ingredients.

Step into Renaissance French Restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and you’re instantly transported to a charming Parisian bistro. The interior, designed by Melvil, exudes Haussmannian Parisian flair with bright white mouldings, herringbone floors, and elegant decor. While dining, you’ll be charmed by Natasha and Melvil’s warm welcome and attentive service from the impeccably dressed staff. The “art of French living,” or l’art de vivre à la française, is evident in every detail. To reflect their Florida location, the restaurant features lush plants and a playlist with tropical vibes from the French Caribbean islands like Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Barth.

VIE team members had the pleasure of dining at Renaissance and were thrilled to learn the inspiring story behind this quaint and charming spot in Gulf Place that feels just like France. Here’s a glimpse into their journey and what makes Renaissance so special.

VIE: What brought you from France to Florida? We’d love to hear more about your journey and learn more about you!

Natasha and Melvil: We were both born and raised in Paris. Natasha is half French and half American. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2012, and Mel moved there in 2015 to start a new life. In 2019, we met and fell in love in Nashville despite both swearing we would never date another French person. Never say never!

Melvil is a self-taught chef, entrepreneur, and sommelier. Melvil always pays homage to France and Europe in each establishment he opens. It seems to be a fact that when you leave your hometown or country, you start appreciating it more. For Natasha, this appreciation was rekindled through her love of French music. Over the last eight years, Natasha has hosted an all-French music radio show on WXNA FM, a popular and beloved station in Nashville. Before meeting, Melvil used to listen to her show. Although we moved away, Natasha continues to work on The French Connection, which airs weekly in Nashville.

While living in Nashville, we visited the 30-A area every year, camping in our Airstream at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. From day one, we fell in love with the area (like everyone here does!) and never stopped dreaming of opening a French restaurant here.

VIE: Can you tell us the story behind the founding of Renaissance French Restaurant? What inspired you to create this unique dining experience?

N & M: We have both worked in the restaurant industry for a while, in nearly every position possible. For years, we dreamed of putting our expertise and love of France to good use by opening something together.

Out of curiosity, we asked our realtor, Rachel Warrell, if she knew of any restaurants for sale in the area. She informed us that there weren’t many on the market, and most were large, multimillion-dollar establishments. We accepted that this might remain just a dream and that we might try again in the distant future.

However, a few days later, our dedicated realtor called us again. She had heard about a space for rent in Gulf Place, and everything about it checked all the boxes for us!

It didn’t take long for us to decide to move forward and take over the space. At Renaissance, we made every decision ourselves—from the decor and playlist to the menu, silverware, tables, chairs, and logo. There were no contractors, interior or graphic designers, consultants, or investors involved. We are proud to say that Renaissance is 100 percent us.

Renaissance means “rebirth” in French.

VIE: How did you decide on the name “Renaissance” for your restaurant? Does it hold any special meaning or significance?

N & M: Renaissance means “rebirth” in French. Starting a new life here, in a new environment, with a new restaurant together, it was clear that this was our rebirth. Many others who move here and call 30-A their new home must feel the same way. When you move here, you experience a true rebirth among the gorgeous weather, white sandy beaches, palm trees, stunning architecture, vibrant communities, and welcoming locals. Life has an incredible pace here; everything slows down and becomes much more enjoyable. It feels like life starts anew, this time the way it should be.

The Renaissance is also one of the most remarkable periods in European history, spanning the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. It was a time when the traditions of the Middle Ages blended with a new modern age of arts and culture, philosophy, politics, and literature, all inspired by the classical ideals of the ancient Greeks and Romans. This era gave France its greatest monarchy, Versailles, opulent kings and queens, gilded buildings and interiors, extraordinary banquets, and grand parties in vast estates. During this time, France was the center of the world.

Naming our restaurant “Renaissance” echoes these ideals, putting France back on the map and parallels our rebirth in this wonderful part of America.

VIE: What influenced the design and ambience of Renaissance French Restaurant?

N & M: Mel is both the interior designer and builder. He started working on the space in January 2024, and we were ready to open by early April 2024 as planned. Our concept is “bistro chic.” If you have been to Paris and visited apartments, the design will not be a surprise. For the ambience, Natasha has curated a playlist of over two hundred hours of French music, blending old, traditional classics with cool modern artists. Like in most French bistros, the tables are small and close together. Because of this, we have noticed that people often talk with each other from one table to another. Talk about lively French hospitality—there you go!

VIE: Can you describe the type of cuisine Renaissance offers? What are some signature dishes that guests should not miss?

N & M: You could call it “traditional and elevated French cuisine.” Executive Chef Melvil and our talented chef de cuisine, Dayton Clark, offer mostly traditional French dishes. There are no fusion, modern, conceptual, or innovative dishes here. We focus on family recipes and dishes you can find at French bistros, such as boeuf bourguignon, confit de canard, and steak frites, elevating them with our own touch and fancy French products like truffles, caviar, and decadent sauces such as foie gras sauce and champagne sauce.

On our current menu, which changes seasonally, we highly recommend our caviar deviled eggs, escargots (of course), and black truffle scallops for appetizers.

For entrees, we suggest our saumon Troisgros. This dish is our twist on a famous recipe from the Troisgros brothers, who earned their first Michelin star in 1955 and maintained three stars for fifty-five years. It features a flattened, thin salmon fillet that is flash-cooked (somewhere between sashimi and a regular salmon fillet) and served with a sorrel and champagne sauce that people typically lick off the plate!

Another classic is steak frites. Ours features filet mignon instead of ribeye or New York strip. It is super tender and served with confit shallot, herbes de Provence fries, and our best-selling foie gras sauce to accompany your delicious piece of steak.

Our dessert selection rotates, but the crème brûlée will always stay on our menu as it is a must-have for any French dinner.

VIE: How do you source your ingredients, especially for some of the more quintessentially French items on the menu, like truffles and boeuf bourguignon?

N & M: We are proud to work with many local vendors, including Legacy Greens, Water Street Seafood, and The Mushroom and the Leaf.

Our goal this year is to expand the number of local companies we work with and continue sourcing fresh products in line with authentic French restaurateur traditions. This helps us avoid relying on large industrial food distributors and guarantees quality products. (Calling all local farms to contact us!)

We import many items from France, such as escargots (from Burgundy), our cheeses, some desserts, delicious butters, truffles, foie gras, and spices, including herbes de Provence, sel de Guérande, and piment d’Espelette. We also use a lot of French wine and liquors in our cooking, such as Chambord, Noilly Prat Vermouth, and Cognac. Every dish has something French in it, which we believe is the little touch that makes a big difference. We are true lovers of everything European and proudly serve other European products, such as Spanish octopus, Norwegian salmon, and Italian pasta and olive oil. You will never find Chinese octopus, Indonesian escargots, or shrimp from Thailand in our establishment, even if the pricing is more appealing.

We aim to make a difference by mixing local products with European imports. We are also very proud to use a collection of French kitchen cookware and utensils from beloved brands such as Le Creuset, De Buyer, Laguiole, Opinel, and more. So, you are eating French products and enjoying dishes prepared in French cookware by a French chef. It’s the real deal!

VIE: What do you hope guests take away from their dining experience at Renaissance? Is there a particular feeling or memory you aim to create for them?

N & M: When dining at Renaissance, we hope to take our customers on a trip to France. Maybe it’s a trip they never took, one they reminisce about fondly, or one they wish to take someday. From the moment they open the doors, we want them to feel like they are no longer in the US. With their trust, we will be their tour guides to experience the art of French living.

VIE: Merci, Natasha and Melvil!

At Renaissance, patrons can expect authenticity and quality. With meticulous attention to detail and dedication to crafting an exceptional dining experience, Natasha and Melvil ensure that every visit feels like a journey to France (minus the jet lag!). We eagerly anticipate our next meal there, and we hope you experience the magic of Renaissance French Restaurant for yourself.

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Visit RenaissanceFrench.com or follow them on Instagram @renaissancerestaurant30a to learn more.