Joël Robuchon

1945 - 2018

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,[1] 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.[2][3] He operated more than a dozen restaurants across Bangkok, Bordeaux, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Monaco, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and New York City. His restaurants have been acclaimed, and in 2016 he held 32 Michelin Guide stars among them, the most any restaurateur has ever held.[4][5]

Robuchon was born in 1945 in Poitiers, France, one of four children of a bricklayer.[6] He attended the seminary in Châtillon-sur-Sèvre (now Mauléon), Deux-Sèvres,[7] briefly considering a clerical career. In 1960, at the age of 15, he became an apprentice chef at the Relais de Poitiers hotel, starting as a pastry chef.[7]

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.[7] At the age of 29, Robuchon was appointed head chef at the Hôtel Concorde La Fayette, where he managed 90 cooks.[6] In 1976 he won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France for his craftsmanship in culinary arts.[7] 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.[6] In 1984, Jamin was named "Best Restaurant in the World" by International Herald Tribune.[4] Between 1987 and 1990, he became a regular of cooking shows on French television.

In 1989, prestigious restaurant guide Gault Millau named Robuchon the "Chef of the Century". He mentored many famous chefs, including Gordon Ramsay,[8] Eric Ripert,[9] and Michael Caines.[10]. 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 32 Michelin Guide stars – the most of any chef in the world.[4]

In June 2018, Resort World Singapore stated that both the three-Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon Restaurant and the two-starred L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon would close at the end of the month.[11]. Robuchon was a Freemason of the Grande Loge Nationale Française, but claimed it did not affect his career.[12]. Robuchon died from cancer on 6 August 2018, a year after receiving treatment for a pancreatic tumour.[13] He was 73.

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.[15]

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").[16] 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.[17]