Georges Blanc (; born 2 January 1943 in

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; frp, Bôrg) is the prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient province of Bresse ( frp, Brêsse, links=no). In 2018, ...

in the department of

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where ...

) is a French chef and restaurateur, with three Michelin stars and four toques from the guide Gault et Millau.

Private life

Georges Blanc the son of Jean and Paulette Blanc. He has an older sister who was born in 1933. His grandmother Élisa, known as Mere Blanc, died at her homeplace in

Vonnas Vonnas (; frp, Vonâs) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Vonnas has a famous restaurant with three stars in the Guide Michelin, the Hotel Restaurant Georges Blanc. Geography The Veyle forms part of the commune's northea ...

at the age of 66. His sons Frédéric and Alexandre Blanc support the family business.

Career

In 1962, he graduated at the École Hôtelière of

Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains (; frp, Tonon), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains is ...

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...

. Before becoming interested in working as a chef he worked as a flight attendant for

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

, traveling all over the world during one summer. In 1965, after working in a number of renowned places, he did his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

as a chef to Amiral Vedel on the Foch and Clémenceau aircraft carriers. He joined the family business (started in 1872) working with his mother Paulette and then succeeded her in 1968 at the age of twenty five. He transformed the hotel into a luxury hotel with the subsequent development of adjacent properties into a gourmet village. In 1970, he came third in the best

sommelier A sommelier ( or or ; ), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the wine steward in fin ...

s of France contest and was a finalist in the

Meilleur Ouvrier de France ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' (shortened to MOF) is a competition for craftsmen held in France every four years. The winning candidates receive a medal. Description The title of ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' is a unique and prestigious award i ...

contest in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1976. In 1981, he received his third Michelin star and the title of Chef of the Year in the Gault et Millau guide. In 1985, he received the rare mark of 19.5/20 from the same guide, a mark that had never before been attained. In 1990, Georges Blanc bought the bakery and grocery store from the Charvet-Guyennet family to create the ''Ancienne Auberge''. He also opened seventeen houses around his restaurant at the center of

to create his "village gourmand" (hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.) These are all kept in the original design with a historic theme to the Village Blanc. There is emphasis on the village being sustainable and a healthy environment. There is 12 acres around the original restaurant, about thirty houses have been renovated. It also includes hotels and spas within the village

Television

With

Cyril Lignac Cyril Lignac (born 5 November 1977 in Rodez, Aveyron) is a French chef. He is owner and chef of the gourmet restaurant ''Le Quinzième'' (1 Michelin star), also of ''Le Chardenoux'', a Parisian bistro located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris ...

, he is a member of the jury for the television program ''Un dîner vraiment parfait'', a spin-off of ''Un dîner presque parfait'' (French version of '' Come Dine with Me'') on M6.

Honours

*Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(11 July 2008) *Officer of the National Order of Merit (2 August 1993) *Commander du Ordre du Mérite Agricole (1993) *Knight (Chevalier) of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

(2002) *Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2004)

References

External links

Official website
1943 births French chefs French restaurateurs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants People from Bourg-en-Bresse Living people {{France-business-bio-stub