The Saint Restaurant’s rise to Michelin recognition, and the chef who helped perfect its menu along the way

It’s not often you hear of a restaurant that came about because the community demanded it, but that’s sort of the case with The Saint Restaurant at the
St. Francisville Inn.

When partners Brandon Branch and Jim Johnston purchased the historic St. Francisville home in 2018, their aim was a luxurious boutique hotel with a cocktail lounge on the ground floor.

Soon, the inn’s renovated common areas were brimming with locals and weekenders eager for a classy night out in this sleepy town.

“The locals were the ones who decided it should have a restaurant,” says executive chef Michael Dardenne. “They started showing up as groups to hang out [at the bar] and wanted a dinner service.”

Branch and Johnston didn’t have restaurant experience, but they recognized St. Francisville was on the cusp of an upscale renaissance. So they put out an ad for a chef.

Dardenne, who got his start in John Folse’s kitchens at White Oak Estate and Gardens and the former Lafitte’s Landing in Donaldsonville, had just returned to the Baton Rouge area after stints in corporate hotel kitchens in Atlanta and New York.

Joining this fledgling hospitality business in 2019, Dardenne hired a team and crafted an elevated South Louisiana menu served up in the cozy dining rooms that took over the main floor and sunroom of the inn. The restaurant’s excellent service and ambience helped make it a special occasion spot for many visitors.

Now, it’s getting noticed on a global scale. In November 2025, the Michelin Guide hailed it a “recommended restaurant”—one of only two in the Capital Region. While not a coveted Michelin star, the list highlights places using “quality ingredients that are well cooked,” and it can sometimes foreshadow higher praise from the guide in the future.

Quality is apparent in Dardenne’s takes on dishes like Redfish Lafitte with citrus beurre blanc and buttery jumbo crab. His Chesapeake Crabcake starter is prepared with minimal breading “Maryland-style,” a nod to his culinary training in Baltimore.

The elegant dishes also find roots in the Creole/country recipes Dardenne learned from his grandmothers as a child.

After helping get The Saint off the ground, Dardenne stepped away for a few years to focus on his family and start a private chef business. He came back in early 2025 after then-chef Jaime Hernandez died in a tragic car accident. While Dardenne’s return followed unfortunate circumstances, he didn’t hesitate when Branch and Johnston reached out.

The Michelin attention that followed was assurance that Dardenne was back in the right place. The Saint now entertains more out-of-towners and even international travelers who’ve confessed to bypassing New Orleans to give it a try.

While the team at the St. Francisville Inn is hopeful for more accolades in the future, Dardenne is focused on the consistency and quality to bring visitors—and maybe Michelin inspectors—back again and again.

“My hope is more people will see Louisiana cuisine for more than the same words they might know, like gumbo or jambalaya,” he says. “It puts a spotlight on how we can use really good ingredients in unique ways with unique flavor profiles. I’m glad to see that style of elevated Southern cuisine is getting its time to shine.”

And now St. Francisville is shining, too, as an idyllic small town destination, thanks in no small part to the allure of the St. Francisville Inn.

As Dardenne says, “It really feels like it’s become the heart and soul of the town.”

This article was originally published in the January 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.