About Us
Our Story
L’Ostal is a Provencal restaurant rooted in history and tradition celebrating the cuisines of Southern France & its boundaries. Stemming from the old Occitania language, the word ‘ostal’ refers to house & the warmth of hospitality that encompasses welcoming one into your home. Throughout the six dialects of this language starting in Catalonia, stretching through the Languedoc into Provence and onto the Alps of Piemonte, they all embrace this welcoming through their cooking. We celebrate the traditions of each country through their amazing cuisine as well as showcasing the wine and heritage of indigenous products. We look forward to bringing our warmth in hospitality & dining to the great community of Darien, Connecticut. Welcome to our home at L’Ostal.
Our Chef
Chef Jared Sippel has spent over two decades honing his craft & distinct culinary style in some of the most highly regarded kitchens across the US & Europe. Originally from Iowa, Jared was raised with strong connections through his family to food & farming. Jared received his bachelors degree at the University of Iowa & then attended culinary school in Colorado while working at the James Beard Award winning Frasca Food &
Wine under renowned chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson & Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey. He then moved to France where he spent a year living & working in Provence at three star Michelin L’Oustau de Baumanière. He also spent several months staging across Italy at Michelin starred restaurants in Friuli & the Veneto. Jared returned for a second tour at Frasca Food & Wine before moving to San Francisco to serve as sous chef at the three Michelin starred Relais & Chateau restaurant Quince under Chef Michael Tusk. After two years, he was called back to Frasca once again to assume the role of Chef-de-Cuisine. Later in 2013, Jared was recruited to New York City to open the highly anticipated Manhattan location of three Michelin starred Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. Delays led Jared to begin the pursuit of building his own restaurant—with a vision, concept & name that had long been close to his heart. Italienne, which opened in 2016, represented the culmination of his career training in the distinct regional cuisines of Northern Italy & Southern France. After closing in March 2020 due to covid, Jared & his wife Lindsey came back to her home of Connecticut where they bought their house in Darien, had their first daughter Lennon, as well as finding a new location for Restaurant L'Ostal. A restaurant rooted in Southern French tradition.
Our General Manager
Born on the east coast & growing up in the midwest, Joe Cracco is a man of many talents. In his youth, Joe's parents owned and operated small family restaurants & catering companies in Iowa. This is where his love for food & hospitality began to grow. From humble beginnings as a dishwasher, prep cook, pizza delivery boy & short order cook, Joe learned the ins & outs of the restaurant business. After deciding to pursue a cooking career, Joe graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in nearby Minnesota. His first taste of big city restaurants was an internship at TRU & a year spent with Paul Kahan at Blackbird in Chicago. His culinary career continued on the west coast as Sous Chef at the iconic Quince Restaurant of San Francisco, this is where his first view of traditional regional Italian cooking grew, as well as his passion for food & wine.
This is also where Chef Jared Sippel & Joe Cracco’s paths crossed for the first time. The next phase of Joe's career brought him back to the east coast & began his wine journey. While working as busboy at Boulud Sud, Joe attended weekly blind tastings with wine director Michael Madrigale. From there his wine career blossomed. Training & studying in the Court of Master Sommeliers, Joe became certified & joined the team as a Sommelier in 2015. After 2 years, Joe was welcomed into a new role as Sommelier at the three star Michelin Le Bernardin. Under world renowned wine director Aldo Sohm, Joe continued to sharpen his palate & polish his service training with some of the industries finest.
His studies continued as he was able to travel several times to major wine regions in France & Italy. This unique background sets the table for refined & elegant service, combined with sensibility & a welcoming personality.