Modern haute cuisine and Joel Robuchon are inseparable concepts. His awards, titles received in the field of culinary art, are truly impressive. In 1990, he was recognized as the “Chef of the Century,” then he was 45 years old. And in 2003, for his services to France, Joel was awarded the highest rank - Knight of the Legion of Honor.
Joel Robuchon Biography
In his youth, the legendary chef was ready to become a priest, but fate made adjustments and taught him the secrets of cooking.
The future great chef was born in the city of 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, in which he learned religious canons for 3 years. It was at this time that he began to comprehend the basics of cooking. In this Catholic commune, while studying, she helps the nuns cook food, showing diligence and ingenuity. Soon he became a very talented cook.
Carier start
Having reached the age of 15, Joel Robuchon, driven by the desire to begin the conquest of the world of culinary, got a job as assistant chef at Relais Poitiers. In his area of responsibility was the manufacture of confectionery. In the kitchen of this hotel, after a while he became a sous-chef, deputy chef. However, he did not want to stay in one place and began to change workplaces in restaurants with a certain frequency, while improving his cookery art.
At the age of 21, in 1966, Robuchon became a freemason, joining the ranks of the secret alliance of apprentices - Compagnon du Tour de France. This membership allowed him to start traveling throughout the French Republic, which favorably affected his study of national cuisine and its traditions.
Recognition of talent
In 1973, when Joel was 28 years old, he was appointed chef of the Paris Concordia Lafayette hotel restaurant. According to the results of work in this position, after two years, he was awarded the first high award. He became the holder of the title "Best Worker in France."
Six years later, Joel Robuchon decided to open his own restaurant. His first institution received life in 1981, in the sixteenth Paris district. Joel gave him the name Janin, which, according to the maestro, became happy for him. Three years later, in 1984, the gastronomic kitchen-restaurant guide Michelin was assigned three stars (Michelin guide or “Red Guide” - an influential compiler of restaurant ratings, published since 1900, the top three stars mean the chef's unrivaled work, and for visiting this place is recommended to carry out a separate trip).
Thus Joel Robuchon became the youngest chef whose work has ever been awarded such a high rating.
Out of France
In the late eighties of the twentieth century, he thought about how to go beyond France. At the same time, the East became a priority 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 in the late eighties of the last century, Joel was a regular participant in the culinary show, which was broadcast live on French television.
In 1990, Robuchon was awarded the title "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. Since that time, he begins to mentor the next generation of famous chefs around the world in it: G. Ramsey; E. Riperta; M. Kane et al.
Leaving the profession
Having reached the age of 50, in 1995, Joel Robuchon decides to leave the profession. The reason for this was his alertness to his health. He was impressed by the information that his colleagues often died in the workplace without experiencing stress and heart attacks.
But the culinary delights are not abandoned. From 1996 to 2000, he led various culinary shows on French television. Photos of Joel Robuchon appeared in books about French cooking.
Return
At the beginning of the 2000s, Robuchon returned to the culinary and restaurant field, to his beloved business. He began to actively open his restaurants around the world. Among the cities where Joel opened gourmet establishments, 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 for receiving three more stars.
In total, Joel Robuchon received thirty-two such stars. This record has not yet been beaten by any chef.
Joel Robuchon has also published books throughout his life. All of them concerned cooking. He was also the head of the committee that created the famous book, “The Laruss Gastronomic Encyclopedia.
Joel also created his own satellite channel - Gourmet TV.
Joel Robuchon died on August 6, 2018, at the age of 73, after an unsuccessful fight against pancreatic cancer.
The lessons of the great chef
The legendary chef was the most revered French representative of this profession. Since the mid-eighties of the last century, he has been called the "first among equals" among the chefs who have ever received three stars from Michelin. His fame is gained thanks to the ongoing desire to improve his own kitchen. He assured that there was no perfect food. It can be improved endlessly.
Joel played a very large role in the process of promoting French cuisine on the world stage. He removed excesses from it, while preserving it from simplification. The main task of the cook considered the need to disclose the unique tastes 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:
- For cooking, you must use exclusively high-quality products.
- The recipe for the dish, the order of its preparation should be clear and simple.
- The cooked dish must be recognizable.
Joel Robuchon’s ingenious inventions also include the fact that in his restaurants he opened the whole process of preparing food for visitors. Coming to his institution and sitting down at the tables, they saw an open kitchen. According to most of those who visited Robuchon restaurants, the spectacle of cooking is comparable to an exciting show in which cooks 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 to it.