Daniel and Luciana Forge might have European roots (he is French, she is Italian), but their story is pure American, pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps, success.
Daniel was a garçon at a Paris restaurant when he met an American couple who were close to the owner of the Beverly Hills Hotel. They thought Daniel would prosper locally so they sponsored his immigration to California. His skills caught the eye of Alexander Perino, of the famous, eponymously named restaurant, who mentored him for the next decade
through his marriage to Italian singer Luciana. The Forges managed several Hollywood restaurants until they opened their own: L’Auberge, one of the first to bring classic French cuisine to Los Angeles.
By the 1980s, the couple decided to seek a more soothing climate and came to Malibu, opening Beau Rivage in 1982. For 30 years, Beau Rivage wowed critics and served as a fine continental eatery, frequent location for weddings and meetup corral for city functions.
After years of battling state and environmental agencies for the right to build a bed and breakfast on the property, the Forges transferred title to their restaurant to Pepperdine University in a complex agreement that allowed the couple to retire in comfort, but which was beneficial for the university as well.
Donations of nearly $3 million were made to Pepperdine’s theatre and music programs, a testament to the Forges’ love for the university performances and their close association with Pepperdine’s administration.
Vice Chancellor Claudia Arnold Preston credited the Forges with gracing Malibu with European hospitality that was warm and real: Daniel would offer hugs to his Pepperdine friends when they entered the restaurant and Luciana would serenade them.
The Forges have left Beau Rivage but their esprit has survived.