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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 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 restaurants on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given ...
described him as "the very incarnation of the great French chef for foreigners".


Personal life

Roger Vergé was born 7 April 1930 in Commentry, which is a commune in the department of
Allier Allier ( , , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region that borders Cher (department), Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire (department), Loire to the east, Pu ...
in central France. His father was a blacksmith. He said he was inspired to learn cooking from his aunt Célestine, to whom he dedicated many of his books. He began work under Alexis Chanier at restaurant ''Le Bourbonnais'' in his aunt's hometown, and trained at the '' Tour d'Argent'' and the '' Plaza Athénée'', before leaving France to work in Africa. He worked in the restaurant of ''Mansour de Casablanca'' (in
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
), ''L'Oasis'' (in
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
) and in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
. Back in Europe, he worked in the restaurants of '' Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo'' (in
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
) and ''Le Club de Cavalière'' (in Le Lavandou, France). He was a keen collector of art and was friends with artists such as César Baldaccini,
Arman Arman (November 17, 1928 – October 22, 2005) was a French and American artist. Born Armand Fernandez in Nice, France, Arman was a painter who moved from using objects for the ink or paint traces they leave (''cachets'', ''allures d'objet'') t ...
and Théo Tobiasse, who exhibited their work in his restaurant. Vergé died of complications from
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
on 5 June 2015, aged 85.


Cooking style

Vergé was known for his contemporary cooking style, often named ''cuisine du soleil'', a variation of Provençal cuisine. Together with
Paul Bocuse Paul François Pierre Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon known for the quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. Dubbed "the pope of gastronomy", he was affectionately nick ...
, Gaston Lenôtre (1920–2009) and others, he is credited with inventing '' nouvelle cuisine'', although Bocuse says that the term was invented by Henri Gault. The focus of Vergé's cooking style was on fresh, local ingredients, in a departure from traditional '' cuisine classique''. “The ‘cuisine heureuse’ is the antithesis of cooking to impress — rich and pretentious,” he wrote in the preface to his first cookbook, “Cuisine of the Sun.” “It is a lighthearted, healthy and natural way of cooking which combines the products of the earth like a bouquet of wild flowers from the garden.” To promote his cooking style, he founded ''l'École de Cuisine du Soleil Roger Vergé'' (located on the first floor of ''l'Amandier'' in
Mougins Mougins (; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southeastern France. It is located on the heights of Cannes, in the arrondissement of Grasse. Mougins is a 15-minute drive from Ca ...
). Vergé denounced the extremes of the ''nouvelle cuisine'' movement. “It is a joke,” he stated to ''Nation’s Restaurant News'' in 1985. “It is nothing serious. Now it looks Japanese: large dishes, small portions, no taste, but very expensive.”


Restaurants and other business ventures

Vergé opened his famous ''
Moulin de Mougins The Moulin de Mougins is a celebrated restaurant in France, situated in a 16th-century mill (''moulin'') in the inland French Riviera town of Mougins. Founding chef Roger Vergé made the restaurant's name renowned with his novel and light ''Cuis ...
'' in 1969 with his wife Denise. Celebrated as one of France's most prominent restaurants, a troop of future culinary stars trained there, such as Alain Ducasse, David Bouley and Daniel Boulud. The restaurant's location near Cannes enabled celebrity guests to arrive from the film festival. In 1977 he opened another restaurant in the historic heart of the village of
Mougins Mougins (; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southeastern France. It is located on the heights of Cannes, in the arrondissement of Grasse. Mougins is a 15-minute drive from Ca ...
: ''L’Amandier de Mougins'' which focused more on '' cuisine Niçoise''. In 1982, he opened Les Chefs de France in the ''France Pavilion'' at
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
's Epcot Center together with
Paul Bocuse Paul François Pierre Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon known for the quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. Dubbed "the pope of gastronomy", he was affectionately nick ...
and Gaston Lenôtre. At the time of opening, the pavilion contained two restaurants: '' Les Chefs de France'' and ''Le Bistro de Paris'' (now called ''Monsieur Paul''). He also opened a restaurant in
Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 14 original Art De ...
, ''Medi'', in 2001, but departed after less than a year. In 2003, Roger Vergé retired from the business of cooking. He turned his flagship restaurant, ''Le Moulin de Mougins'', over to fellow French chef Alain Llorca. In 2004, Roger Vergé appeared in the documentary film Monet's Palate airing through American Public Television with
Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...
, Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud and Michel Richard.


Awards

Vergé was awarded a
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 restaurants in certain geographic ...
for the ''Moulin de Mougins'' three times in 1970, 1972, and 1974 (three star) . In 1972, he was made
Meilleur Ouvrier de France ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' (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 in France, a ...
in the category ''Métier de bouche''. In 1987, he was made Chevalier of the
Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
and Maître Cuisinier de France. The first edition of the '' International Gastronomy Festival of Mougins'', also known as ''Les Étoiles de Mougins'', was dedicated to Vergé in September 2006.


Books

Vergé wrote several books on food preparation. Most famous among them is ''Ma Cuisine du Soleil'' (1978), translated as ''Cuisine of the Sun''. However, Vergé also wrote another series of books, the titles of which are probably a
word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...
on '' Lettres de mon moulin'' by Alphonse Daudet: * ''Ma cuisine du soleil'' (1978) published as ''Cuisine of the South of France''. * ''Les Fêtes de Mon Moulin'' (1993) published as ''Entertaining in the French Style'' in English. * ''Les Légumes de Mon Moulin'' (1994), translated as ''Roger Vergé's Vegetables in the French Style''. * ''Les Tables de Mon Moulin'' (1998) published as ''New Entertaining in the French Style'' in English. * ''Les Fruits de Mon Moulin'' (1999), translated as ''Roger Vergé's Cooking with Fruit''.


References


External links


The website of Le Moulin de Mougins



The website of La Cave de Mougins

Roger Vergé Cooking School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verge, Roger 1930 births 2015 deaths People from Allier French chefs French male chefs French restaurateurs Knights of the Legion of Honour Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants Deaths from diabetes in France