Frédy Girardet (born 17 November 1936) is a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
chef who cooks in the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
tradition. Often considered one of the greatest chefs of the 20th Century, his self-named restaurant in
Crissier, Switzerland (near
Lausanne, Switzerland
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
) earned three
Michelin stars
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
and before Girardet's retirement in 1996 was often called the greatest restaurant in the world.
Biography
Girardet was born to Benjamin and Georgette Girardet
in Lausanne, Switzerland.
His father cooked for years in Hôtel Central Bellevue in Lausanne,
before opening a
bistro
A bistro or bistrot , is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods ...
in Crissier, Switzerland, a small town nearby.
Girardet was an athletic child, playing amateur
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
(soccer). Although he apprenticed at Le Grand Chêne, a restaurant in Lausanne,
his ambition was to become a
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
soccer player.
During a wine-buying tour of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
for his father's restaurant, a
vintner
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:
*Cooperating with viticulturists
*Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to deter ...
took him to
La Maison Troisgros
La Maison Troisgros is a Michelin Guide three-starred restaurant in Roanne, France north west of the city of Lyon. Head chef, Michel Troisgros of the Troisgros family, runs the hotel/restaurant along with his wife Marie-Pierre.
In 1930, Burgundy n ...
in
Roanne
Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France.
It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fren ...
. Girardet describes the meal, his first at a renowned restaurant, as a spiritual experience that convinced him to become a chef.
When his father died unexpectedly at age 56, he took over the bistro. Cooking originally in a classic style, he began to experiment with lighter and more innovative style, joining with his contemporaries to develop the emerging
nouvelle cuisine
''Nouvelle cuisine'' (; ) is an approach to cooking and food presentation in French cuisine. In contrast to cuisine classique, an older form of haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased e ...
movement.
Cuisine
Girardet is known primarily for his nouvelle cuisine style. He avoids using
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
in his sauces, thickening them instead with simmered meat stocks.
By more modern standards he is considered a traditionalist. He is a critic of
molecular cuisine
Molecular gastronomy is the Science, scientific approach of nutrition from primarily the perspective of chemistry. The composition (Structural formula, molecular structure), properties (mass, viscosity, etc) and transformations (chemical reacti ...
, in particular its use of non-natural ingredients.
In 1984 he published ''The Cuisine of Fredy Girardet'' (edited by food writer
Narcisse Chamberlain), in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
with English translation.
Restaurant
Girardet's restaurant in Crissier opened in 1971. Unlike many acclaimed chefs from the era, Girardet personally spent most of his time in the kitchen supervising the cuisine, rarely traveled,
and avoided consultancies and endorsements.
The restaurant was called by some the greatest restaurant in the world,
and for his work there, Girardet was often called the world's greatest chef.
Girardet sold his restaurant in 1996, at age 60, to
Philippe Rochat
Philippe Rochat (29 November 1953 – 8 July 2015) was a Swiss chef and the owner of the ''Restaurant de L'Hôtel de Ville'' in Crissier, Switzerland.
The restaurant, formerly owned by Frédy Girardet, won three Michelin Guide stars, and was vo ...
, who had worked under Girardet since 1980, and Rochat's wife
Franziska Rochat-Moser
Franziska Rochat-Moser (17 August 1966 – 7 March 2002) was a long-distance runner from Switzerland, who represented her native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. She won the 1997 New York City Marathon.
Moser was marri ...
. He then retired to the town of
Féchy
Féchy is a municipality located in the district of Morges of the Swiss canton of Vaud, in Romandy, the French-speaking part of the country.
History
Féchy is first mentioned in 1188 as ''Fescheio''.
Geography
Féchy has an area, , of . Of thi ...
.
Girardet grew bored after retiring, and had some friction with Rochat, who quickly regained the restaurant's three-star rating.
Food writer
Colman Andrews
Colman Robert Hardy Andrews (born February 18, 1945) is an American writer and editor and authority on food and wine. In culinary circles, he is best known for his association with ''Saveur'' magazine, which he founded with Dorothy Kalins, Michael ...
speculated that Girardet quit during the prime of his career after observing other chefs he knew, including his father, who were unable to sell when they wanted, and who eventually died early from the stress of running a restaurant.
Among Girardet's other understudies is
Léa Linster
Léa Linster (born 27 April 1955) is a Luxembourg chef, and a gold medal winner of the 1989 Bocuse d'Or, the first and to date only woman to accomplish this.Curtis, Stephanie. ''Food Arts'' (May, 2006)Women who wear toques/ref>World Gourmet Summit ...
.
See also
*
Swiss cuisine
Swiss cuisine is influenced by Austrian cuisine, Austrian, French cuisine, French, German cuisine, German and Northern Italian cuisine, as well as by the history of Switzerland as a primarily agricultural country. As a result, many traditional Sw ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girardet, Fredy
Swiss chefs
1936 births
Living people
People from Lausanne
Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants