Persimmon Bistro Now Open at Palm Springs Art Museum

From Palm Springs Art Museum: Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM) is proud to announce the opening of Persimmon Bistro, a new restaurant serving rustic, eclectic cuisine with a twist in a unique café setting on the edge of the Museum’s sculpture garden. Combining fantastical wallpaper design and chic comfort food, the eatery is the brainchild of Candice Held and Tristan Gittens, owners of Frankinbun gourmet sausages in Palm Springs, which has been profiled in Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family series and on the Food Network.

Persimmon uses only the freshest ingredients, and serves the finest teas and coffees from around the world, as well as cold-pressed juices, delicious smoothies, soups and salads, sandwiches and paninis. Additional items include delicacies such as house-cured duck, charcuterie plates, and authentic French desserts like Baba au Rhum. The full menu can be viewed here.

“The ‘jungle-to-table’ theme, a play on farm to table, is reflected in everything from the menu to the wallpaper design,” says Held. “Tristan’s menu focuses on fresh vegetables, fish and poultry, using classic French techniques as well as other influences such as Indian, Italian and American. Overall, it’s a mix of the exotic and the unique.”

The creative impulse behind Persimmon occurred three years ago while having lunch in the Museum’s sculpture garden. The couple soon arrived at the concept of a French-American Bistro featuring jungle-inspired wallpaper and other eye-catching design flourishes.

“From an aesthetic and culinary perspective, we want people to see Persimmon as an extension of the Museum,” says Elizabeth Armstrong, Palm Springs Art Museum’s JoAnn McGrath Executive Director. “The environment encourages guests to sit, relax, converse and be inspired. We want them to experience Persimmon for both its visual and edible pleasures.”

Located in the heart of downtown, Palm Springs Art Museum is recognized as the Coachella Valley’s cultural hub, hosting such widely hailed exhibitions as Women of Abstract Expressionism,Kinesthesia: Latin American Kinetic Art, 1954-1969, and the current Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.

For information about Persimmon or Palm Springs Art Museum locations, hours, admission prices, membership opportunities and exhibitions, please visit psmuseum.org or call (760) 322-4800.

About Palm Springs Art Museum

Palm Springs Art Museum is the largest cultural institution in the Coachella Valley and includes three locations in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. The flagship building, located in downtown Palm Springs, features compelling art exhibitions, a vast permanent collection, and the Annenberg Theater, all in a 150,000 square foot, architecturally-significant building. Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, features exhibitions and programming that explore the rich topics of architecture and design. Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert is an 8,400 square foot, Silver LEED-certified building named The Galen featuring rotating exhibitions and special collections. The Galen is surrounded by the four-acre Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden. Admission to the Palm Desert location is free, generously underwritten by Helene V. Galen.

Photos by Deja Kreutzberg, Courtesy of Art Patron Magazine