Joël Robuchon

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{{Infobox chef

| name = Joël Robuchon

| image = Joël Robuchon.jpg

| caption = Joël Robuchon, September 2010

| birth_date = {{birth date|1945|04|07|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Poitiers, France

| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|08|06 |1945|04|07|df=yes}}

| death_place = Geneva, Switzerland

| education =

| ratings = Michelin stars {{Michelinstar|3}}
AAA Motor Club {{Rating|5|5}}
Mobil {{Rating|5|5}}

| restaurants = Joël Robuchon (Las Vegas)
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Dubai, Gustavia, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Macau (Robuchon Au Dome,) Madrid, Miami, Monaco, Paris, Taipei, Tokyo, Singapore, Geneva and Shanghai)
La Table de Joël Robuchon & Le Chateau de Joël Robuchon (Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo)

| prevrests = Bangkok, Jamin, London, Montreal, New York City

| television = Cuisinez comme un grand chef (TF1, 1996–1999)
Bon appetit, bien sûr (France 3, 2000)

| awards = Officer of the Legion d'honneur

| website = [https://jrobuchon.com/ jrobuchon.com]

}}

Joël Robuchon ({{IPA|fr|ʒɔɛl ʁɔbyʃɔ̃}}, 7 April 1945 – 6 August 2018) was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989,{{Cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Leuzzi |title=A Top Chef Arrives in New York (Finally) |url=http://www.nysun.com/article/37595 |work=The New York Sun |date=9 August 2006 |access-date=25 November 2007 |archive-date=24 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724035928/http://www.nysun.com/article/37595 |url-status=dead }} and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's best worker) in cuisine in 1976. He published several cookbooks, two of which have been translated into English, chaired the committee for the Larousse Gastronomique, and hosted culinary television shows in France.{{Cite news

|title = Chefs Around the World

|newspaper = Travel International

|pages = 28

|date =Spring 2005

|url = http://www.stardiamondaward.com/newsletter/objects/TI_Spring05_4.pdf

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128152532/http://www.stardiamondaward.com/newsletter/objects/TI_Spring05_4.pdf

|archive-date = 28 November 2007

}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471292974,descCd-authorInfo.html |title=L'Atelier of Joel Robuchon: The Artistry of a Master Chef and His Proteges |access-date=25 November 2007 |publisher=Wiley & Sons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214145440/http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471292974,descCd-authorInfo.html |archive-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=dead }} He operated more than a dozen restaurants across Bangkok, Bordeaux, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Madrid, Monaco, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and New York City. His restaurants have been acclaimed, and in 2018 he held 31 Michelin Guide stars among them, the most any restaurateur has ever held.{{Cite news|url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/washington-dc/news-and-views/in-memoriam-joel-robuchon/news|title=Career Highlights of Joël Robuchon|work=MICHELIN Guide|access-date=30 October 2018|language=en}}Masterchef: The Professionals 2010 (Episode 16) He is considered to be one of the greatest chefs of all time.{{Cite web |last=Bragard |first=Gilles |date=2018-08-07 |title="Joël Robuchon était le chef le plus perfectionniste que j'aie jamais rencontré" |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/actualites/article/creatif-joel-robuchon-etait-surtout-le-chef-le-plus-perfectionniste-que-j-aie-jamais-rencontre_128764.html |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Le HuffPost |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last=Daley |first=Jason |date=2018-08-07 |title=Joël Robuchon, the World's Most Michelin-Starred Chef Who Transformed the Mashed Potato |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chef-century-joel-robuchon-potato-180969892/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-01-03 |title=Who Reigns Supreme? An In-Depth Look at the Joel Robuchon vs Gordon Ramsey Debate |url=https://travelingmichelinstyle.com/who-reigns-supreme-an-in-depth-look-at-the-joel-robuchon-vs-gordon-ramsey-debate/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Travel - Michelin Food - Style |language=en-US}}

Biography

Robuchon was born in 1945 in Poitiers, France, one of four children of a bricklayer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.joel-robuchon.com/en/biographie.php|title=biography Joël Robuchon – Le Monde de Joël Robuchon|website=joel-robuchon.com|language=en|access-date=30 October 2018}} He attended the seminary in Châtillon-sur-Sèvre (now Mauléon), Deux-Sèvres, briefly considering a clerical career. In 1960, at the age of 15, he became an apprentice chef at the Relais de Poitiers hotel, starting as a pastry chef.

After he turned 21, he joined the apprenticeship Compagnon du Tour de France, enabling him to travel throughout the country, learning a variety of regional techniques. At the age of 29, Robuchon was appointed head chef at the Hôtel Concorde La Fayette, where he managed 90 cooks. In 1976 he won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France for his craftsmanship in culinary arts.{{Cite web |url=http://mof-cuisine.com/index-4.php |title=Liste des lauréats du concours de Meilleur Ouvrier de France, Classe Cuisine |access-date=25 November 2007 |year=2004 |publisher=Meilleur Ouvrier de France – Cuisine |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128080639/http://mof-cuisine.com/index-4.php |archive-date=28 November 2007 }} While working as an Executive Chef and Food and Beverage manager of the Nikko hotel in Paris he gained two Michelin stars.

In 1981, he opened his own restaurant, Jamin, which holds the rare distinction of receiving three Michelin stars in the first three years of existence. In 1984, Jamin was named "Best Restaurant in the World" by the International Herald Tribune. Between 1987 and 1990, he became a regular of cooking shows on French television.

In 1989, the prestigious restaurant guide Gault Millau named Robuchon the "Chef of the Century". He mentored many famous chefs, including Gordon Ramsay,{{Cite news|url=https://london.eater.com/2018/8/6/17655468/reaction-joel-robuchon-london-gordon-ramsay-jay-rayner|title=The London Food World Reacts to the Death of Joël Robuchon|work=Eater London|access-date=30 October 2018}} Eric Ripert,{{Cite news|url=https://www.eater.com/2018/8/6/17655280/reaction-chefs-joel-robuchon-death-gordon-ramsay|title=Gordon Ramsay Leads Tributes to Joël Robuchon, Who Has Died at 73|work=Eater|access-date=30 October 2018}} and Michael Caines.{{Cite news|url=https://lympstonemanor.co.uk/an-evening-with-raymond-blanc-michael-caines/|title='A special relationship' – An evening with Raymond Blanc & Michael Caines – Lympstone Manor|date=6 March 2018|work=Lympstone Manor|access-date=30 October 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=28 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128082809/https://lympstonemanor.co.uk/an-evening-with-raymond-blanc-michael-caines/|url-status=dead}}

In 1995, seeing many of his peers die of stress and heart attacks, Robuchon retired at the age of 50. He subsequently staged a comeback, opening several restaurants bearing his name around the world. He hosted Cuisinez comme un grand chef on TF1 from 1996 to 1999; in 2000, he hosted Bon appétit bien sûr on France 3. Through his various restaurants, including the newly awarded 3-star rating for his restaurant in Singapore, he accumulated a total of 31 Michelin Guide stars – the most of any chef in the world.

In June 2018, Resorts World Singapore stated that both the three-Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon Restaurant and the two-starred L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon would close at the end of the month.{{cite news|url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/three-michelin-starred-joel-robuchon-restaurant-close-end-june|title=Robuchon Restaurant to close end June|author=Eunice Quek|date=8 June 2018|newspaper=The New Paper}}

Robuchon was a Freemason of the Grande Loge Nationale Française, but he said it did not affect his career.[http://www.lexpress.fr/styles/saveurs/joel-robuchon-la-grande-cuisine-francaise-m-emmerde_766598.html Interview] with L'Express

Robuchon died from cancer on 6 August 2018, a year after receiving treatment for a pancreatic tumour.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45082668|title=Joël Robuchon, Michelin star French chef, dies aged 73|date=6 August 2018|publisher=BBC News}} He was 73.

Personal life

Robuchon and his wife Jeanine, whom he married in 1966, had two children, son Eric Robluchon, a pedicurist and podiatrist based in Paris, and daughter Sophie Kartheiser, who manages a restaurant named La Cour d'Eymet in Dordogne with her husband, chef François Kartheiser. He also has a son Louis Robuchon-Abe (born 1988) with a Japanese woman. Louis is a wine importer in Japan. Robuchon was survived by his wife, his three children and four grandchildren.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/a-la-une/tous-heritiers-de-robuchon|title=Tous héritiers de Robuchon|date=18 August 2018|website=lanouvellerepublique.fr}}

Legacy

Robuchon has been the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. Since the mid-1980s, he has been called the primus inter pares of Paris' three-star chefs for his work both at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant.{{Cite news

| last = MacDonogh

| first = Giles

| title = Star performance – Giles MacDonogh takes a fresh look at the culinary capital of the world and assesses the city's top eight restaurants

| newspaper=Financial Times Guide to Eating Out in Paris

| pages = 3

| date = 8 May 1995

}}

Robuchon has been known for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine; he said there is no such thing as the perfect meal – one can always do better. He was instrumental in leading French cuisine forward from the excessive reductionism of nouvelle cuisine toward a post-modern amalgam of the nouvelle, international influences – especially Japanese cuisine – and even select traditions of haute cuisine. In particular, his style of cooking was often seen as of celebrating the intrinsic qualities of the best, seasonal ingredients (dubbed "cuisine actuelle" by Patricia Wells in her book, Simply French).{{Cite web|url=http://www.patriciawells.com/simply-french/|title=Simply French|website=Patricia Wells|language=en-US|access-date=4 January 2019}} Drawing his inspiration firstly from the simplicity of Japanese cuisine, he led the way in creating a more delicate style respectful of natural food ingredients.{{Cite news|url=https://www.askmen.com/fine_living/wine_dine_archive_300/333_interview-chef-joel-robuchon.html|title=AM Food Interview:
Chef Joel Robuchon|last=Jezer-Morton|first=Kathryn|work=AskMen|access-date=30 October 2018|language=en}}

Restaurants

Joël Robuchon restaurants are present worldwide:{{cite web |url=https://jrobuchon.com/restaurants |title=Joël Robuchon Restaurants |accessdate=12 November 2021}}

File:Joël Robuchon's restaurant - Tokyo.jpg.]]

Asia
Dubai – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon{{cite web |url=https://atelier-robuchon.ae/ |title=L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Dubai) |accessdate=11 November 2021}}
Dubai - Le Deli Robuchon, La Méditerranée Robuchon
Hong Kong – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (3 Michelin stars), Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon
Macau – Robuchon au Dôme (3 Michelin stars) at the Grand Lisboa Hotel
Taipei – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (2 Michelin star), Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon
Tokyo – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (1 Michelin star), La Table de Joël Robuchon (2 Michelin stars), Le Chateau de Joël Robuchon (3 Michelin stars)
North Africa
Rabat - Le Clubhouse Robuchon, Le Café Robuchon, Le Grill Robuchon
Casablanca - Le Deli Robuchon, La Boulangerie Robuchon
Europe
Geneva - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (2 Michelin stars)
London – Le Deli Robuchon Piccadilly, Le Deli Robuchon King's Road
Monaco – Le Deli Robuchon, Le Café Robuchon
Paris – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Étoile (1 Michelin star), L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (2 Michelin stars)
Madrid - Robuchon Madrid
Cyprus - Le Deli Robuchon, L'Atelier Robuchon
America
Las Vegas – Joël Robuchon, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Miami – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (2 Michelin stars){{cite web | url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/miami/restaurant/l-atelier-de-joel-robuchon-miami | title=L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami – Miami – a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant }}
St Barths - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Le Daily Robuchon

Past locations: Bangkok, Singapore, Montreal, New York City.

Michelin-starred restaurants associated with Joël Robuchon and their highest rating

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left;""

! scope="col" |No.

! scope="col" |Name

! scope="col" |Country

! scope="col" |Rating

|Joël Robuchon (Las Vegas)

|{{Flag|United States}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|Restaurant Joël Robuchon (Tokyo)

|{{Flag|Japan}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|Restaurant Joël Robuchon (Singapore)

|{{Flag|Singapore}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|Robuchon au Dôme (Macau)

|{{Flag|Macau}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|Jamin (Paris)

|{{Flag|France}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|Le Pré Catalan (Paris)

|{{Flag|France}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Hong Kong)

|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}

! scope="row" style="background-color:#D6FFD6" | {{center|{{Michelin stars|3}}}}

|L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Tokyo)

|{{Flag|Japan}}