Orange County’s Pascal Olhats closes his Tradition

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Pascal Olhats, one of Orange County’s most-honored chefs, has announced that he is hanging up his toque. He’ll be closing his Newport Beach restaurant Tradition by Pascal, in February after 24 years.

“The Tradition building lease is expiring, so I made a deliberate decision to start another chapter in my life, spending more of my time doing other things I love,” Olhats says. “Tradition has been a dream realized for me, I have thoroughly enjoyed providing my customers with a quality experience these many years, but now it is time for me to apply that experience towards other opportunities.”

His other restaurants -- Epicerie Pascal and Brasserie Pascal in Newport Beach, Cafe Jardin and Pascal’s Tea Garden Creperie in Corona del Mar, and Pascal at Hutton Centre in Santa Ana -- will remain open.

Internet rumors have Christopher Eme, late of Ortolan, taking over the space.

To commemorate his time in Orange County, Olhats will offer a special ‘greatest hits’ menu of his favorite dishes from that period, including seabass au thyme and Dijon-crusted rack of lamb through Feb. 15.

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