My Best: Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon was born in Poitiers, France on April 7, 1945. At the age of 12, he entered the junior seminary in Mauléon-sur-Sèvre with the intention of becoming a priest. However, he found a new vocation while helping the nuns prepare meals. At the age of 15, he began an apprenticeship at the Relais de Poitiers, a hotel and restaurant in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou. As part of a program called the Compagnons du Devoir, he traveled throughout France studying regional cuisines and mastering traditional techniques.

In 1974, after cooking in several restaurants around France, he was placed in charge of 90 chefs at the Hôtel Concorde La Fayette. Two years later, he received the title best craftsman in France, an honor given to chefs who survive a grueling competition. He opened his first Paris restaurant, Jamin, in 1981. Many other restaurants followed including Restaurant Robuchon. He retired at the height of his fame and became a broadcaster. He appeared on Cook Like a Great Chef and Bon Appétit, You Bet! In 2003, he opened the first in a chain of small restaurants he called ateliers.

He wrote several cookbooks including Simply French with Patricia Wells, Joël Robuchon: Cooking Through the Seasons, The Complete Robuchon, Food and Life written with Nadia Volf, and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. He died from complications of pancreatic cancer on August 6, 2018 at the age of 73.

030