Jean-Louis Palladin (May 7, 1946 – November 25, 2001) was a French-born chef who introduced French

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 ...

to the Washington elite at his restaurant, Jean-Louis at the

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

, and influenced a generation of French and American chefs.

Early life

Jean-Louis Palladin was born on May 7, 1946, in the small town of

Condom, Gers Condom ( oc, Condòm; ), also known as Condom-en-Armagnac, is a commune in southwestern France in the department of Gers, of which it is a subprefecture. Geography Localisation The town of Condom is located in the northern part of the depar ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Palladin attended culinary school in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

and then worked in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant in Condom. The owner of the restaurant recognized Palladin's talent, and together they created a new restaurant, La Table des Cordeliers, where Palladin, at 28 years of age, would become the youngest chef in France to earn two

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 ...

Jean-Louis at the Watergate

In 1979, Palladin was recruited to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to open a restaurant at the

Watergate hotel The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Covering a total of 10 acres (4 ha) just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the buildings incl ...

. ''Jean-Louis at the Watergate'' soon became the "in" place for Washington's politicians and socialites. Its reputation blossomed during the

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

administration, when many of President Reagan's associates from California moved into apartments at the Watergate and made Jean-Louis their regular meeting place. President Reagan celebrated his 70th birthday at Jean-Louis at an intimate party that included actor

Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

. Palladin sought to incorporate American ingredients on his menu: "The challenge of cooking in America," he said in 1987, "is to discover the newest and best products from the different states -- baby eels and lamprey from Maine, fresh snails from Oregon, blowfish from the Carolinas and California oysters -- and then to learn how to integrate them into your cuisine." Jean-Louis became a destination for other prominent French and American chefs, such as

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

Thomas Keller Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Founda ...

, and

Daniel Boulud Daniel Boulud (born 25 March 1955 in Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu) is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, the Berkshires and Dubai. He is best known for h ...

Éric Ripert Eric Frank Ripert (; born 2 March 1965) is a French chef, author, and television personality specializing in modern French cuisine and noted for his work with seafood. Ripert's flagship restaurant, Le Bernardin, located in New York City, has ...

worked under Palladin at the Watergate for a few years. For his cooking at the Watergate, Palladin won two

James Beard Awards The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

, including Outstanding Chef of 1993. The restaurant never made a significant profit, however, due to its small size and expensive ingredients - Jean-Louis closed on June 15, 1996.

Later career

In 1993, Palladin opened a second restaurant in Washington, Pesce in

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW ...

. In 1997, he opened a restaurant in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, Napa at the

Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino The Rio is a hotel and casino near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Dreamscape Companies LLC and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It includes a casino and 2,520 suites. ...

. In 1999, he allowed his name to be used at Palladin, a restaurant in the Time Hotel in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Death and legacy

Palladin died of lung cancer on November 25, 2001, at his home in

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxim ...

. He was survived by two children, Olivier and Verveine Palladin. Palladin's colleagues and friends created a foundation in his name in 2002, which was subsumed under the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...

in 2009. The Foundation administers the Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Initiative in Palladin's honor.

Awards

* 1974 Michelin Stars for La Table des Cordeliers (

), the ''

Michelin Guide 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 star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

''. * 1984 ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

'' Grand Award. * 1987 Who's Who of Food and Beverage in the United States. * 1991 Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic,

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

. * 1993 Outstanding Chef,

Cookbook

''Jean-Louis, Cooking With the Seasons'', Thomasson-Grant (1989).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palladin, Jean-Louis 1946 births 2001 deaths French chefs French emigrants to the United States French restaurateurs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants James Beard Foundation Award winners