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Joël Robuchon

French chef with a record 31 Michelin stars.

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Joël Robuchon was a French chef and restaurateur born 7 April 1945 and died 6 August 2018.[1] In 1989, the Gault Millau guide awarded Robuchon the title "Chef of the Century", and he had previously earned the Meilleur Ouvrier de France distinction in cuisine during 1976.[1] When Robuchon passed away in 2018, the total Michelin Guide stars accumulated by his various restaurants reached 31, a record number never achieved by any other restaurateur.[2]

Key facts and history

He died from cancer on 6 August 2018, aged 73.[3][4] Assisting nuns with meal preparation in the kitchen sparked his passion for cooking.[5] His initial journey to Japan occurred alongside his mentor, Jean Delaveyne.[6][7] Robuchon received the "Chef of the Century" designation from Gault Millau in 1989.[8][4]

Observing that numerous colleagues were succumbing to stress and heart attacks, he chose to retire at fifty years old in 1995.[9] After his retirement, he made a return to the culinary world by launching multiple restaurants that carried his name across the globe.[9]

What the cited sources add

A Grub Street article notes Robuchon's parents divorced and he remembered cooking with nuns as a consoling experience.[7] The same source states Robuchon introduced sous-vide cooking to his kitchens in the 1980s while updating meals for the French railway service.[7] The Eater article also describes Robuchon's famous mashed potatoes, made with an almost impossible quantity of butter and passed through a mouli at least twice.[4] The Grub Street article recounts that Robuchon once threw a plate containing langoustine ravioli cooked incorrectly by a young Gordon Ramsay.[7]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Leuzzi, "A Top Chef Arrives in New York (Finally)", The New York Sun, 9 August 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Career Highlights of Joël Robuchon", MICHELIN Guide; Masterchef: The Professionals 2010 (Episode 16); Bragard, ""Joël Robuchon était le chef le plus perfectionniste que j'aie jamais rencontré"", Le HuffPost, 2018-08-07; Daley, "Joël Robuchon, the World's Most Michelin-Starred Chef Who Transformed the Mashed Potato", Smithsonian Magazine, 2018-08-07; "Who Reigns Supreme? An In-Depth Look at the Joel Robuchon vs Gordon Ramsey Debate", Travel - Michelin Food - Style, 2023-01-03 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Joël Robuchon, Michelin star French chef, dies aged 73", BBC News, 6 August 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "The London Food World Reacts to the Death of Joël Robuchon", Eater London. facts only, no text reused. london.eater.com
  5. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Picat, "Joël Robuchon: «J'ai voulu devenir prêtre»", Gala, 2014-01-18; "Liste des lauréats du concours de Meilleur Ouvrier de France, Classe Cuisine", Meilleur Ouvrier de France – Cuisine, 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Merwin, "How Joël Robuchon Became the Most Influential Chef in the World", Grub Street, 2018-08-06 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Merwin, "How Joël Robuchon Became the Most Influential Chef in the World", Grub Street, 2018-08-06. facts only, no text reused. grubstreet.com
  8. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The London Food World Reacts to the Death of Joël Robuchon", Eater London; "Gordon Ramsay Leads Tributes to Joël Robuchon, Who Has Died at 73", Eater; "'A special relationship' – An evening with Raymond Blanc & Michael Caines – Lympstone Manor", Lympstone Manor, 6 March 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Joël Robuchon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Career Highlights of Joël Robuchon", MICHELIN Guide (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Joël Robuchon (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year did Joël Robuchon die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 2018.

From the source: “His restaurants have been acclaimed, and he held 31 Michelin Guide stars among them by the time of his death in 2018, the most any restaurateur has ever held.”

2. In what year was Joël Robuchon born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1945.

From the source: “Robuchon was born in 1945 in Poitiers, France, one of four children of a bricklayer.”

3. In which place was Joël Robuchon born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Poitiers, France.

From the source: “Robuchon was born in 1945 in Poitiers, France, one of four children of a bricklayer.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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