Tempo Restaurant & Bar is the third restaurant, after Fleurie and Petit Pois, that Executive Chef Brice Cunningham has owned. Tempo showcases French fare with an international twist, offering dishes such as scallops infused with lemongrass, lamb braised in coconut and foie gras with naschi pear.  Both the menu and the atmosphere embrace the ‘savoir vivre’ of great food, amazing atmosphere and good friends.

Brice grew up in France and Tahiti and began his professional career in Paris under Alain Ducasse, currently recognized as one of the top chefs in the world. Brice’s father, Stewart Cunningham, also carrying a long career in word-class European restaurants, travelled from France to join Brice in 2011 and together the father-and-son team now run Tempo.

“Tempo” is the underlying beat that stays the same no matter the culture from which it comes, and it is in this vein that the carefully thought-out menu and wine list pays tribute to a dynamic mix of bright and international influences, yet still anchored in the tried-and-true art of French culinary tradition.

 

About the Chef

Brice Cunningham, born in Paris to a French mother and a Scottish father, grew up being  fed an array of delicacies that only the French can master feeding their children. When he was 11 years-old, his family moved to Tahiti for six years and he was introduced to a whole new world of exotic tastes, textures and foods – a far cry from the classic French palette, but nonetheless very exciting!

Although already quite adept at pairing, mixing and creating eclectic combinations of culinary delights, Brice started his working career back in Paris at 59 Poincaré under the legendary Alain Ducasse. It was here that he learned the art of professional French cooking, and he hasn’t stopped since.

In 2001, after moving to the United States, Brice opened Fleurie as co-owner and chef.  The modest, yet upscale, fine-dining French restaurant nestled off the (then) sleepy Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA, turned out to be a hit; receiving national recognition and acclaim. He continued, with his business partner, to open Petit Pois, a more accessible form of Fleurie, but still longed to have a restaurant that spoke to his dynamic background in France, Tahiti and other world travels.