Cena: French Chef, Pastry Chef and Five Owners Offer Gourmet Dinners To Go, Bistro and Wine Tasting in West Hills, California

If you love delicious food and authentic French cuisine, there is a hidden treasure in West Hills, California.

Delicious gourmet food is now waiting for your arrival. With five owners, each taking a different role, Cena is a name that will roll off your tongue after one visit. Add in one chef who trained at the famed Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and you will definitely be hooked.

Cena (pronounced say-nah) means supper or dinner in Spanish and Italian.

Owner and Chef Charly Pattegay, who recently relocated to the Valley from France, has been pleased with the response from the locals.

"We listen to our neighborhood and the community; we listen to what they want. We provide food to go, we offer cooking classes, and by next month we'll be offering French wines," Pattegay explains. "We have full meals, appetizers, delicious pastries, catering, and private parties. Part of what we offer is also an education on what wines go with what meals. People love it!"

Listening to Chef Pattegay's French accent simply makes every morsel more delectable. As he describes creating pâté from scratch, you want to beg him for a cooking lesson on the spot. Cena is certainly a new experience.

In this day and age of television hits such as "Top Chef," families are embracing Cena's fresh new style in the Valley. For far too long, couples have had to travel to the other side of the hill to find something new and exciting, but now it exists in our own backyard.

Everything this journalist tasted at Cena was fresh, delicious and memorable. The fresh mixed baby green salad was topped with pecans, cranberries and gorgonzola. As a long time connoisseur of salads, the salad dressing was spectacular! The scalloped potatoes were to die for and the beef bourguignon had been cooked for six hours in a secret recipe of wine and vegetables. Imagine being able to take this meal home and feed your family in gourmet style, or better yet, throw a dinner party that delivers a healthy helping of satisfaction in your own home.

Cena Owner Christine Thompson, who's from Trinidad, embraces Cena's unique style for her own family and friends.

"As parents and working spouses, we know how hard it is to have a great meal waiting for your family. There's no time left at the end of the day. We have gourmet food available every day. We prep it, we assemble it, and it's ready to bake," Thompson says with a smile, "and just pop it into your oven at home and you've got an incredible meal."

Cena Owner and Chef Annie Vardi, who is from Israel, was happy to share a tour of the 2,300 square foot facility.

"We want people to feel welcome, come in, sit down, and have an experience. We have gourmet meals, wine tastings, birthday parties, cooking classes, and we designed a place so people would feel comfortable and enjoy themselves," Vardi says, walking into the beautiful Bistro, "and look at the colors, the ambiance, we added every aspect of comfort. Whether you want to know how to cook food or gain an education about food or wine, we offer it. I'm a mom and so we encourage kids to help prepare the food. Everyone is welcome to be a part of the process."

"In fact, nothing is frozen at Cena," adds Owner Susie Shirahama, who is of Japanese descent. "Every food item is fresh and our meal offerings change monthly. Some entrées come with sides or you can get half an entrée for 2 to 3 or a full entrée to feed 4 to 6 people, whatever you want, the choices are yours."

"Our meats are hormone-free and naturally aged. We use original recipes and we only cook with olive oil, no trans fats," explains Vardi.

Cena offers an upscale welcoming atmosphere from the moment you walk in the door.

April's menu is amazing and varied with choices such as Chicken & Smoked Gouda in Puff Pastry, Hibachi Steak Medallions, Seared Salmon with Maple Soy Sauce and Avocado Cream, Cena's Chicken Oscar (named for Sweden's King Oscar), Low-Carb Steak Roulade, Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with Pumpkin Butter, Beef Tips with Roasted Garlic Horseradish, and the list of choices goes on.

The side dishes are equally as amazing from Fries with Gorgonzola Dipping Sauce to Tuscan Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Butter.

Joining Chef Pattegay in creating Cena's pastries is Chef Paul Thompson, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France. Thompson, who owns www.Desserttemptations.com, helps to create traditional French pastries, croissants, fruit tarts, savory scones with turkey sausage and pepper jack cheese and herbs, and muffins. One bite of a muffin and you will be a regular because the chefs use the finest ingredients.

The location, with plenty of parking around the corner from Trader Joe's at Fallbrook and Vanowen in West Hills, also seems perfect for private parties. To top off the Bistro, Chef Pattegay has a framed map of France with all of the French vineyards marked. If you've visited France, you'll enjoy pointing out your favorite cities and vineyards. If you've never visited France, you will feel like your educational palate just expanded to another country's famous cuisine.

If you love food, visit Cena. The door is open Mondays through Saturdays and you can taste the difference in the fresh food and inventive sauces made from scratch in the kitchen. As the owners are from France, Trinidad, Japan, Israel, and America, an eclectic mix of new food has arrived!

Cena, with its wide-open floor plan and complete wheelchair accessibility, is located at 22902 Vanowen Street, West Hills, (818) 716-6596 or visit www.cenatogo.com and click on the West Hills location.

Pictured: Cena's Owners - Charly Pattegay, Annie Vardi, Susie Shirahama, and Christine Thompson.

Not pictured: Owner Michelle Davis.