Georges Blanc (; born 2 January 1943 in Bourg-en-Bresse 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 it ...

) is a French

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

, with three Michelin stars and four toques from the guide

Gault et 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 ...

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 northeast ...

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 ...

in Haute-Savoie. Before becoming interested in working as a chef he worked as a

flight attendant A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

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 air ...

, traveling all over the world during one summer. In 1965, after working in a number of renowned places, he did his military service as a chef to Amiral Vedel on the Foch and Clémenceau

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s. 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 sommeliers of France contest and was a finalist in the Meilleur Ouvrier de France contest in

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1976. In 1981, he received his third

Michelin star 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 the title of Chef of the Year in the

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, 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 An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC O ...

(2 August 1993) *Commander du

Ordre du Mérite Agricole The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to th ...

(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 The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

(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