Joël Robuchon (French pronunciation: [ʒɔɛl ʁɔbyʃɔ̃], 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.
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Biography
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.
Robuchon was a Freemason of the Grande Loge Nationale Française, but he said it did not affect his career.
Robuchon died from cancer on 6 August 2018, a year after receiving treatment for a pancreatic tumour. He was 73.
Personal life
Robuchon and his wife Jeanine Paulette Arlette Robuchon, a French woman whom he married in 1966, had two children, son Eric Robuchon, a pedicurist and podiatrist based in Paris, and daughter Sophie Kartheiser, who manages a restaurant named La Cour d'Eymet in Dordogne with her husband, chef François Kartheiser. He also has a son Louis Robuchon-Abe (born 1988) with a Japanese woman. Louis is a wine importer in Japan. Robuchon was survived by his wife, his three children and four grandchildren.
Legacy
Robuchon has been the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. Since the mid-1980s, he has been called the primus inter pares of Paris' three-star chefs for his work both at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant.
Robuchon has been known for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine; he said there is no such thing as the perfect meal – one can always do better. He was instrumental in leading French cuisine forward from the excessive reductionism of nouvelle cuisine toward a post-modern amalgam of the nouvelle, international influences – especially Japanese cuisine – and even select traditions of haute cuisine. In particular, his style of cooking was often seen as of celebrating the intrinsic qualities of the best, seasonal ingredients (dubbed "cuisine actuelle" by Patricia Wells in her book, Simply French). Drawing his inspiration firstly from the simplicity of Japanese cuisine, he led the way in creating a more delicate style respectful of natural food ingredients.
Restaurants
Joël Robuchon restaurants are present worldwide:
Past locations: Bangkok, Singapore, Montreal, New York City.
Awards
Meilleur ouvrier de France, 1976
Declared "Best Restaurant in the World" by International Herald Tribune, 1984
Legion of Honour Knight in 1993; Officer in 2003
Best French Restaurant, Best Chef in Las Vegas, Las Vegas Life International Epicurean Awards
"Hot Tables", CondeNast Traveller
Five-Star Award, 2006–2011 Forbes Travel Guide
Best French Restaurant in Las Vegas, 2006–2010, Hotel Concierge Association.
The Laurent Perrier 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award at The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009
Cookbooks
Robuchon has published numerous cookbooks in French and English, some of which are:
Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joel Robuchon
Tout Robuchon (published as The Complete Robuchon in English)
Joël Robuchon Cooking Through the Seasons
La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon: A Seasonal Cookbook
L'Atelier of Joël Robuchon: The Artistry of a Master Chef and His Protégés
Le Grand Larousse Gastronomique
Food and Life
My Best: Joël Robuchon
Grand Livre de Cuisine de Joël Robuchon
French Regional Food
Robuchon Facile
Le Meilleur & Le Plus Simple de Robuchon: 130 recettes
Le Meilleur & Le Plus Simple de la France: 130 recettes
Le Meilleur & Le Plus Simple de la pomme de terre: 100 recettes
Ma Cuisine Pour Vous
Cuisine des Quatre Saisons
Larousse Vegetables & Salads
Emotions Gourmandes
Les Dimanches de Joël Robuchon