Christophe and Geraldine Coutelle created C’est La Vie Downtown Sarasota in 1997 after moving to the US that same year. It was their mission to bring an authentic French bistro experience to America. When C’est la Vie opened its doors in 1997, it was one of the first restaurants downtown to offer outdoor seating like many established bistros in France. Not that you want to, but sometimes it is easy to forget that you’re in Florida and not France on your visit to C’est La Vie.