Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients; she was a visionary chef and pioneer of California cuisine.

[4] A 1906 law outlawed the sale and consumption of alcohol in the area around the Veterans Home of California Yountville,[5] and the building was bought in 1920 by John Lande who used it as a French steam laundry,[6] which is the origin of the restaurant's name.

[13] In July 2014, the Napa Valley restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary with a six-hour feast for friends, locals, and luminaries[14] and temporarily closed for renovations before the end of the year.

Notable alumni of The French Laundry's kitchen staff have included Grant Achatz of Alinea, Eric Ziebold of Kinship and Métier, Corey Lee of Benu, Jonathan Benno of Lincoln Ristorante, René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen, Ron Siegel of Madcap, and Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes.

Previous Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth[25] won the Bocuse d'Or USA semi-finals in 2008,[26][27] and represented the U.S. in the international finals in January 2009, placing sixth.

[29] Thomas Keller opened Ad Lib, a pop-up restaurant in the Silverado Resort & Spa during the renovation of The French Laundry.

[33] It received a favorable review in The New York Times[34] and was called "the best restaurant in the world, period" in 2005 by restaurateur and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.