Gaston Lenôtre (, born 28 May 1920, died 8 January 2009) was a French

pastry chef A pastry chef or pâtissier (; the French female version of the word is pâtissière ), is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bi ...

. He is known as a possible creator of the

opera cake Opera cake (french: Gâteau opéra) is a French cake. It is made with layers of almond sponge cake (known as ' in French) soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee (or Grand Marnier Grand Marnier () is a French brand of lique ...

(''gâteau opéra''), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering services, retail concerns and cooking schools, as well as one of the three founders with

Paul Bocuse Paul Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon who was known for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. A student of Eugénie Brazier, he was one of the most prominent ...

and Roger Verge of

Les Chefs de France The France Pavilion is a French-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between the Morocco and United Kingdom pavilions. Layout The France Pavil ...

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

in Orlando, Florida, US.

Biography

Lenôtre was born on a small farm in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, in the commune of Saint-Nicolas-du-Bosc. Both of his parents eventually moved the family to Paris and became restaurant workers. Eventually, his father's ill health forced them to move back to the province from which they came. Lenôtre then had to struggle to find a position in a kitchen in Normandy. Prior to the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he sold his homemade chocolate creations in Paris from a bicycle. Following the war, Lenôtre opened a small bakery in Normandy. The venture was a success and in 1957 he came upon the opportunity to purchase a tiny bakery in the 16th Arrondissement of Paris. His new establishment did extremely well from the outset and is said to have presaged

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 ...

. Lenôtre was renowned for concentrating on simple preparations and fresh ingredients, and for insisting on using the best butter in his pastries. The year 1964 saw Lenôtre enter the catering field. Due in large part to improvements in freezing food perishables, he was able to quickly expand the number of diners he was able to serve. The year 1971 saw Lenôtre open his first cooking school in Plaisir, Yvelines France. Among the chefs who studied under Lenôtre there was David Bouley and Jean-Paul Jeunet. The chef

Pierre Hermé Pierre Hermé (; born 20 November 1961) is a French pastry chef and chocolatier. He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to Gaston Lenôtre. Hermé was awarded the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by The World's 50 Best R ...

was an apprentice of his, as was the pastry chef

Sébastien Canonne Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. (born 1968) is a French pastry chef and co-founder of the French Pastry School in Chicago, the Butter Book online platform, and EQUII. In 2004, he earned the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In 2012, he was named ...

."Dessert Professional’s Top Ten Pastry Chefs in North America 2015,"
''Dessert Professional'', August 24, 2015. The chef

Alain Ducasse Alain Ducasse (; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide. Early life and career ...

also worked under him. In 1974 Lenôtre dispatched another then apprentice of his

Michel Richard Michel Louis-Marie Richard ( ; ; March 7, 1948 – August 13, 2016) was a French-born chef, formerly the owner of the restaurant Citrus in Los Angeles and Citronelle and Central in Washington, D.C. He has owned restaurants in Santa Barbara, Toky ...

to open Chateau France a restaurant and patisserie on the East Side of Manhattan in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to spotlight the Lenôtre culinary style. It only stayed in business for a single year. Quickly bouncing back from this failed venture, in 1982 he opened

in the ''France Pavilion'' in

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

Epcot Center Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

together with

and

Roger Vergé Roger Vergé (, 7 April 1930 – 5 June 2015) was a French chef and restaurateur. He is considered one of the greatest chefs of his time. The Gault Millau described him as "the very incarnation of the great French chef for foreigners". Personal ...

. In 1985 the businesses under the banner head Lenôtre were taken over by the French hotel firm

Accor Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide. Accor ope ...

Death

Gaston Lenôtre died on 8 January 2009 at the age of 88 in Sennely,

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.< ...

. He was buried in the family vault at Bernay, Eure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenôtre, Gaston Pastry chefs French chefs 1920 births 2009 deaths People from Eure