The much-lauded restaurant marks seven years at Crystal Cove Shopping Center.

Florent Marneau, 55, and his wife, pastry chef extraordinaire Amelia, are the duo behind Marché Moderne. Before the elevated bistro’s founding in 2007, Marneau had helmed a succession of the county’s best French restaurants. Seven years ago, Marché Moderne moved to a stunning new space on the coast with Provençal-style stone walls, a walnut-beamed ceiling and a white-tile-and-marble exhibition-style kitchen. It’s one of the few restaurants in the county that uses white tablecloths and elegant white china, often creatively shaped. The menu is both sophisticated and rustic.

What do you appreciate most about your location?

We’re sitting here at Table 9, the windows are open, looking at the view, the olive trees, the ocean. …. Sometimes Amelia and I sit in the restaurant in the morning or late at night, absorb it all and reflect on life — it’s pretty amazing.

How did you partner with the Irvine Company to create the space?

Marché Moderne has both a modern feel and an old-world feel. The Irvine Company had fantastic designers who worked with us to achieve our ideas. The collaboration continues — I just met with another designer about wine cabinets we want to redo. 

What is the most exciting part of your job?

Evolution is everything. Not only great execution but keeping it fresh — the creative part. Nothing makes me happier than coming in and knowing that I have four hours of creating new dishes. I do that every two days.

What ingredients are your favorites to work with?

I could say morel mushrooms or porcinis — but more than ingredients, it’s the seasons I love. In summer, corn and peaches, in the fall, sunchokes and figs. It’s easy to create with luxury items. It’s harder to achieve greatness with inexpensive ingredients, but they can be incredible in season.

Beyond the food, what makes the Marché Moderne experience so distinctive? 

The Big H — hospitality. For us, the service industry has always been a profession, not a job. The serving crew’s detailed knowledge of the dishes we have created with so much love carries into the dining room. Our guests really respond to that.