Paul Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

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 ...

, he was one of the most prominent chefs associated with the '' nouvelle cuisine'', which is less opulent and calorific than the traditional ''

cuisine classique ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...

'', and stresses the importance of fresh ingredients of the highest quality. Paul Bocuse claimed that Henri Gault 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 and t ...

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, one of four ''Chefs of the Century'' and chef at the first German restaurant to receive three Michelin stars. Since 1987, the '' Bocuse d'Or'' 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 B ...

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

truffle A truffle is the Sporocarp (veggie), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truf ...

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 Gove ...

. 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'', 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 stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...

. 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" restaurant which the elder Bocuse co-founded with Roger Vergé 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 se ...

and is located inside the

French pavilion The French pavilion houses France's national representation during the Venice Biennale arts festivals. Background The Venice Biennale is an international art biennial exhibition held in Venice, Italy. Often described as "the Olympics of th ...

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 unr ...

. Bocuse was considered an ambassador of modern French cuisine. He was honoured in 1961 with the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France. 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 Louhans, ...

, a master of

classic French cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...

. 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, in the same room above his restaurant, L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, in which he was born in 1926. He was 91.

Works

* ''Paul Bocuse's French Cooking'', translated by Colette Rossant (Pantheon Books 1977) * ''Bocuse a la Carte'', translated by Colette Rossant (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