Louis Bignon (26 June 1816 – 18 May 1906) was a famous French chef whose Café Riche became the most fashionable in Paris. He was also a noted agriculturalist, won prizes for his products and was awarded 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, ...

Early years

Louis Bignon was born on 26 June 1816 in

Hérisson Hérisson (; oc, Eiriçon) is a town in the Allier department in central France. Population Notable people * Henri Harpignies (28 June 1819 – 28 August 1916), 19th century painter of the Barbizon school who made many pictures of Hérisson ...

in the Allier department. He began work in Paris in the kitchen of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

in the

Quai d'Orsay The Quai d'Orsay ( , ) is a quay in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is part of the left bank of the Seine opposite the Place de la Concorde. The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole-France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai Branly west of th ...

. Later he was a waiter at "La Minerve" at the corner of the rue Montpensier. He apprenticed as a cook in various fashionable restaurants. In 1843 Bignon acquired and reorganized the Café Foy. In a few years he had made it a leading center of gastronomy. The Café Foy, which later became the Paillard, was at the corner of the

Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin This "quartier" of Paris got its name from the rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It runs north-northwest from the Boulevard des Italiens to the Église de la Sainte-Trinité. In the 17th century the ''chemin des Po ...

and the

Boulevard des Italiens The boulevard des Italiens is a boulevard in Paris. It is one of the 'Grands Boulevards' in Paris, a chain of boulevards built through the former course of the Wall of Charles V and the Louis XIII Wall, which were destroyed by the orders of Louis ...

. In 1847 Bignon handed over the Café Foy to his brother, who had recently married one of the directors of Les Freres Provencaux, another leading Parisian restaurant.

Café Riche

Bignon then bought the Café Riche, which had become run down, for the huge sum of one million francs. It soon became the most fashionable restaurant in Paris. It was frequented by leading figures of French society, and by great artists and writers. Some splendid dishes were first created at the Café Riche, including ''Sole à la Riche'' and ''Bécasse à la Riche''.

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

was a frequent visitor, and used many of Bignon's recipes in his ''Petit dictionnaire de cuisine''. Bignon was succeeded as chef by Vauquelin, Fèvre and Seroulle. Their names were engraved on a plaque.

Joseph Favre Joseph Favre (; 17 February 1849 – 17 February 1903) was a famously skilled Swiss chef who worked in Switzerland, France, Germany, and England. Although he initially only received primary education because of his humble origins, as an adult h ...

, later to become a famous chef in his own right, apprenticed at the Café Riche around 1869. Louis Bignon was a pioneer in hygiene, and made this an important consideration in the design and operation of the kitchens of the Café Riche. Bignon took care to stock his cellars with the best wines in the world. He said that all his wines were pure, and were each the best of their type. He had never served a wine under a false name. Bignon kept his prices high. When questioned about this, he said that it was in the interests of his clientele, since the high prices kept out the vulgar and ensured an atmosphere of quiet intimacy.

Agriculturalist

Bignon invested in farms and vineyards in his native Allier, and took an active part in the fight against

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...

, which destroyed many of the French vineyards from 1863. Louis Bignon was a founding member of the ''Société des agriculteurs de France'', a corresponding member of the ''Société impériale et centrale d'agriculture de France'' (later the ''Societe Nationale d'Agriculture''), and a member of the ''Conseil supérior de l'agriculture, du commerce et de l'industrie''. He received high awards for his wines and agricultural products at the world exhibitions in London and Paris between 1862 and 1880. In 1867 he was awarded the

for his agricultural work. Louis Bignon retired at the end of the century and died some time later. The "Café Riche" closed in 1916 and was demolished to make way for a bank.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bignon, Louis 1816 births 1906 deaths French chefs People from Allier Recipients of the Legion of Honour French restaurateurs