Paul Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

who was known for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. A student of

Eugénie Brazier Eugénie Brazier (12 June 1895 – 2 March 1977), known as "la Mère Brazier", was a French chef who, in 1933, became the first person awarded six Michelin stars, three each at two restaurants: La Mère Brazier in the rue Royale, one of the ma ...

, he was one of the most prominent chefs associated with the ''

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 ...

'', which is less opulent and calorific than the traditional '' cuisine classique'', and stresses the importance of fresh ingredients of the highest quality. Paul Bocuse claimed that

Henri Gault Henri Gault (, 4 November 1929 - 9 July 2000) was a French food journalist. He was co-founder of the Gault Millau guides with Christian Millau, and invented the phrase "nouvelle cuisine", though later he claimed to regret it.The Guardian '' ...

first used the term, ''nouvelle cuisine'', to describe food prepared by Bocuse and other top chefs for the maiden flight of the

Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France an ...

airliner in 1969.

Contributions to French gastronomy

Bocuse made many contributions to French

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

both directly and indirectly, because he had numerous students, many of whom have become notable chefs themselves. One of his students was Austrian

Eckart Witzigmann Eckart Witzigmann is an Austrian chef. After his chef-apprenticeship in the Hotel Straubinger in Bad Gastein (1957–60), Witzigmann moved on to numerous positions in prestigious restaurants around the world, among others as a student of Paul B ...

, one of four ''Chefs of the Century'' and chef at the first German restaurant to receive three

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 ...

. Since 1987, the ''

Bocuse d'Or The Bocuse d'Or (the ''Concours mondial de la cuisine'', World Cooking Contest) is a biennial world chef championship. Named for the chef Paul Bocuse, the event takes place during two days near the end of January in Lyon, France, at the SIRHA Inter ...

'' has been regarded as the most prestigious award for chefs in the world (at least when French food is considered), and is sometimes seen as the unofficial world championship for chefs. Bocuse received numerous awards throughout his career, including the medal of Commandeur de la

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first t ...

honoured Bocuse in their Leadership Awards Gala on 30 March 2011. He received the "Chef of the Century" award. In July 2012 the Culinary Institute of America announced in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' that they would change the name of their

Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoi ...

Restaurant to the Bocuse Restaurant, after a year-long renovation. In 1975, he created ''soupe aux truffes'' (

truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''Peziz ...

soup) for a presidential dinner at the

Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (french: Palais de l'Élysée; ) is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Completed in 1722, it was built for nobleman and army officer Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who had been appointed Gover ...

. Since then, the soup has been served in Bocuse's restaurant near Lyon as ''Soupe V.G.E.'', VGE being the initials of former president of France

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

Restaurants

Meilleur Ouvrier de France - Paul Bocuse

Bocuse's main restaurant, ''

L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, also known as Paul Bocuse or Bocuse, is a restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or near Lyon, France. The chef was Paul Bocuse Paul Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon who ...

'', is a luxury establishment near Lyon, which has been serving a traditional menu for decades. It was one of only 27 restaurants in France to receive a three-star rating in 2017 by 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 ...

. However, it lost its record-breaking 55-year long 3-star rating in the 2020 Michelin Guide, sparking controversy in the French culinary world. He also operated a chain of

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is also French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brew ...

s in Lyon, named ''Le Nord'', ''L'Est'', ''Le Sud'' and ''L'Ouest'', each of which specialize in a different aspect of French cuisine. Paul Bocuse's son, Jérôme, manages the "

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 ...

" restaurant which the elder Bocuse co-founded with

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 ...

and

Gaston Lenôtre Gaston Lenôtre (, born 28 May 1920, died 8 January 2009) was a French pastry chef. He is known as a possible creator of the opera cake (''gâteau opéra''), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering serv ...

and is located inside the French pavilion at Walt Disney World's

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 ...

. Bocuse was considered an ambassador of modern French cuisine. He was honoured in 1961 with the title

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 ...

. He had been apprenticed to

Fernand Point Fernand Point (, 25 February 1897 – 4 March 1955) was a French chef and restaurateur and is considered to be the father of modern French cuisine. He founded the restaurant La Pyramide in Vienne near Lyon. Early life He was born in Louhan ...

, a master of classic French cuisine. Bocuse dedicated his first book to him.

Institute Paul Bocuse Worldwide Alliance

In 2004, the Institut Paul Bocuse Worldwide Alliance was created. In 2014, the Alliance brought together students of 14 nationalities for a course in

Death

Bocuse died of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on 20 January 2018 in

Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or (; frp, Colonges) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, eastern France. It is the site of L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, the restaurant of chef Paul Bocuse Paul Bocuse (; 11 February 19 ...

, in the same room above his restaurant,

, in which he was born in 1926. He was 91.

Works

* ''Paul Bocuse's French Cooking'', translated by

Colette Rossant Colette Rossant (born 1932) is a French-American cookbook author, journalist, translator, and restaurateur, who is a member of the Pallache family. Background Born in Paris, Rossant traveled with her mother to Cairo to live with her father and ...

(Pantheon Books 1977) * ''Bocuse a la Carte'', translated by

(Pantheon Books 1987)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bocuse, Paul 1926 births 2018 deaths Chefs from Lyon Deaths from Parkinson's disease People from Lyon Metropolis French restaurateurs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Neurological disease deaths in France