Biography
Joël Robuchon (7 April 1945 – 6 August 2018) was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's best worker) in cuisine in 1976. He published several cookbooks, two of which have been translated into English, chaired the committee for the Larousse Gastronomique, and hosted culinary television shows in France. He operated more than a dozen restaurants across Bangkok, Bordeaux, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Madrid, Monaco, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and New York City. His restaurants have been acclaimed, and he held 31 Michelin Guide stars among them by the time of his death in 2018, the most any restaurateur has ever held. He is considered to be one of the greatest chefs of all time.
Robuchon was born in 1945 in Poitiers, France, one of four children of a bricklayer. He attended the seminary in Châtillon-sur-Sèvre (now Mauléon), Deux-Sèvres, briefly considering a clerical career. However, he discovered his love of cooking while helping the nuns prepare food in the kitchen. In 1960, at the age of 15, he became an apprentice chef at the Relais de Poitiers hotel, starting as a pastry chef. While undergoing his apprenticeship, he won five competitive medals for cooking while under 20. He also went on his first trip to Japan with his mentor, the Michelin-starred chef Jean Delaveyne. He would, like his mentor, be a disciple of Japanese tradition and influence in his cooking throughout his career.
After he turned 21, he joined the apprenticeship Compagnon du Tour de France, enabling him to travel throughout the country, learning a variety of regional techniques. At the age of 29, Robuchon was appointed head chef at the Hôtel Concorde La Fayette, where he managed 90 cooks. In 1976 he won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France for his craftsmanship in culinary arts. While working as an Executive Chef and Food and Beverage manager of the Nikko hotel in Paris he gained two Michelin stars.
In 1981, he opened his own restaurant, Jamin, which holds the rare distinction of receiving three Michelin stars in the first three years of existence. 18 months after its opening, The New York Times described him as one of the "most creative young chefs in Paris" while reporting on his second Michelin star. In 1984, Jamin was named "Best Restaurant in the World" by the International Herald Tribune. Between 1987 and 1990, he became a regular of cooking shows on French television.
In 1989, the prestigious restaurant guide Gault Millau named Robuchon the "Chef of the Century". He mentored many famous chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert, and Michael Caines.
In 1995, seeing many of his peers die of stress and heart attacks, Robuchon retired at the age of 50. He subsequently staged a comeback, opening several restaurants bearing his name around the world. He hosted Cuisinez comme un grand chef on TF1 from 1996 to 1999; in 2000, he hosted Bon appétit bien sûr on France 3. Through his various restaurants, including the newly awarded 3-star rating for his restaurant in Singapore, he accumulated a total of 31 Michelin Guide stars – the most of any chef in the world. ...
Source: Article "Joël Robuchon" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
