Joel Robuchon: biography, photo

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Modern Haute Cuisine and Joel Robuchon are inseparable concepts. His awards, titles received in the field of culinary arts are truly impressive. In 1990, he was named Chef of the Century when he was 45 years old. And in 2003, for services to France, Joel was awarded the high rank - Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Biography of Joel Robuchon

The legendary chef was ready to become a priest at a young age, but fate made adjustments and taught him the secrets of cooking.

The future great chef was born in Poitiers, France. Joel Robuchon's date of birth is April 7, 1945. His parents are devout Catholics. He was the youngest of the children, he had two sisters and a brother. In 1957, when he was 12 years old, Joel began to study at the seminary of the commune of Chatillon, where he learned the religious canons for 3 years. It was at this time that he begins to comprehend the basics of cooking. In this Catholic commune, while studying, he helps the nuns cook food, showing diligence and ingenuity. He soon became a very talented cook.

Career start

After the age of 15, Joël Robuchon, driven by a desire to start conquering the world of culinary arts, took a job as Assistant Chef at the Relais Poitiers. His area of responsibility was the manufacture of confectionery. In the kitchen of this hotel, after some time he became a sous-chef, a deputy chef. However, he did not want to stay in one place and began to change jobs in restaurants with a certain frequency, while improving his cooking skills.

At the age of 21, in 1966, Robuchon became a Freemason, joining the Compagnon du Tour de France, a secret union of apprentices. This membership allowed him to start traveling throughout the French Republic, which had a positive effect on his study of national cuisine and its traditions.

Talent recognition

In 1973, when Joel was 28 years old, he was appointed chef of the restaurant in the Parisian hotel Concordia Lafayette. According to the results of work in this position, after two years, he was awarded the first high award. He became the owner of the title of "Best Worker of France".

Six years later, Joel Robuchon decided to open his own restaurant. His first institution came to life in 1981, in the sixteenth Parisian arrondissement. Joel gave him the name Janin, which, according to the maestro, became happy for him. Three years later, in 1984, the gastronomic kitchen-restaurant was awarded the Michelin Guidethree stars (the Michelin Guide or the Red Guide is an influential restaurant rating maker, published since 1900, the highest three stars mean the unsurpassed work of the chef, and a separate trip is recommended to visit this institution).

Thus, Joel Robuchon became the youngest chef ever to receive such a high rating.

Out of France

In the late 1980s, he thought about going beyond France. At the same time, the East became a priority direction for future work. Of all the potential partners, he chose the Japanese group of companies Sapporo. The result of their collaboration was Chateau Restaurant Taillevent – Robuchon, opened in Tokyo in 1989.

Also at the end of the eighties of the last century, Joel was a regular participant in a cooking show that aired live on French television.

In 1990, Robuchon was awarded the title of "Chef of the Century". He was awarded this title by another famous restaurant guide - Gault et Millau.

In Paris, in the early nineties, Joel opened a new Parisian restaurant, Jammin. From that time on, he began to mentor the next generation of famous chefs around the world: G. Ramsay; E. Riperta; M. Kane and others

Leaving the profession

Having reached the age of 50, in 1995, Joel Robuchon decides to retire from the profession. The reason for this was his concern aboutattitude towards your he alth. He was impressed by the information that his colleagues often died in the workplace without surviving stress and heart attacks.

But culinary delights are not abandoned. From 1996 to 2000, he hosted various cooking shows on French television. Photos of Joel Robuchon have appeared in books about French cooking.

Return

At the beginning of the 2000s, Robuchon returned to the culinary and restaurant field, to his favorite business. He began to actively open his restaurants around the world. Among the cities in which Joel opened haute cuisine establishments are New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei, London, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Bordeaux, Montreal, Monaco. A total of 14 restaurants were launched. They continued to collect Michelin stars. Singaporean was especially famous, receiving three more stars.

In total, Joel Robuchon received thirty-two such stars. This record has not yet been broken by any chef.

During his life, Joel Robuchon also published books. All of them related to cooking. He was also the head of the committee that created the most famous book, the Larousse Encyclopedia of Gastronomy.

Joel also created his own satellite channel - Gourmet TV.

Joel Robuchon passed away on August 6, 2018, at the age of 73, after an unsuccessful battle with pancreatic cancer.

Lessons from a great chef

The legendary chef was the most revered French representative of this profession. FROMin the mid-eighties of the last century, he was called "first among equals" among chefs who have ever received three stars from Michelin. His fame is due to the ongoing desire to improve his own cuisine. He assured that the perfect food does not exist. It can be improved endlessly.

Joel played a very big role in the process of promoting French cuisine on the world stage. He removed excesses from it, while protecting it from simplification. The main task of the chef was the need to reveal the unique flavors of each ingredient in the dish.

Revealing the secrets of his culinary masterpieces, Joel said that when preparing his dishes, he is guided by three rules, namely:

1. Only high-quality products should be used for cooking.
2. The recipe of the dish, the order of its preparation should be clear and simple.
3. The cooked dish should be recognizable.

Also, Joel Robuchon's ingenious inventions include the fact that in his restaurants he opened the whole process of cooking to visitors. Coming to his establishment and seated at the tables, they saw an open kitchen. According to most of those who have visited Robuchon restaurants, the spectacle of cooking is comparable to a spectacular show in which chefs dressed in black robes perform culinary miracles. At the same time, anyone can find out the composition of the dish, the order of its preparation, ask any question and get an exhaustive answer.