Jacques Haeringer
Chef, L’Auberge Chez François
“I’m a senior citizen, I’m in bed by 10,” jokes Jacques Haeringer, the second-generation chef and proprietor of L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls. Therefore, he’s not doing much late-night eating. But despite all of his time spent in the kitchen, he does find occasions to dine out. His father, who opened the restaurant, hailed from the Alsace region of France and began serving his native cuisine in DC in 1954. L’Auberge Chez François moved to its current 6-acre spot in Great Falls in 1976. There, the younger Haeringer has built a reputation for farm-to-table offerings that profit from the restaurant’s backyard farm. The goods have ranged from herbs and greens to the hops made into Chez François’ private-label beer. Haeringer’s favorite lunch spot is close to his restaurant. He loves the chicken wings at Mookie’s BBQ in Great Falls and says he appreciates “the nice draught beer selection.”
For dinner, he gets a little farther afield to Nostos in Tysons for its “excellent Greek fare.”
On special occasions, Haeringer enjoys PassionFish in Reston, where he orders the stone crab claws. A fan of a “killer martini,” he also appreciates the bar scene at Hotel Burg in Leesburg, where the “house martini service” is available any way he chooses.
Read more: https://northernvirginiamag.com/food-and-drink/2026/03/27/where-do-northern-virginias-top-chefs-eat/
