Claude Lebey (20 November 1923 – 10 January 2017) was a French
food critic
The terms food critic, food writer, and restaurant critic can all be used to describe a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings. While these terms are not strictly synonymous they are often used int ...
and the author of ''Guide Lebey''.
Early life
Claude Lebey was born on 20 November 1923.
Career
Lebey began his career in the textile industry,
where he became a chief executive.
He later became a culinary critic for ''
L'Express
''L'Express'' () is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''Réussir''.
History ...
'', followed by
Gault Millau
Gault et Millau is a French restaurant guide. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965.
Points system
Gault Millau rates on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given below 10 points ...
.
He was also the editor of cookbooks.
For example, he edited
Michel Guérard's cookbook.
In 1987, he began publishing the annual ''Guide Lebey des Restaurants de Paris'' and the ''Lebey des Bistrots de Paris et sa banlieue''.
He sold the Lebey brand to Gérald de Roquemaurel et Pierre-Yves Chupin in 2011.
A year later, he published his memoir.
Lebey was the founder of the ''
Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat
The Club de Croqueurs de Chocolat (literally: "Chocolate Crunchers' Club") is an association of chocolate specialists. Founded in 1981, it publishes a gastronomic guide dedicated to chocolate every year, and awards prizes at the Salon du Chocolat ...
'', a non-profit organization for "chocolate biters", in 1981.
With
Jacques Pessis
Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...
, he was the co-founder of the ''Association de sauvegarde de l'oeuf mayonnaise'' (ASOM), a non-profit organization for the defense of
egg mayonnaise, in 1990.
He was also the founder of ''Les Amis des bistrots parisiens'' and ''Le Club des amateurs de cigares de Havane''.
Lebey ate in restaurants 300 times a year.
Death
Lebey died on 10 January 2017 in
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
, at the age of 93.
Upon his death, chef
Yannick Alléno called him "a visionary".
Selected works
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebey, Claude
1923 births
2017 deaths
French publishers (people)
French food writers
French memoirists