Dubbed the “Chef of the Century,” Joël Robuchon’s culinary career has spanned over 60 years—calling the man legendary is an understatement.
French cuisine has always been known for its decadent, creamy, and highly technical dishes. Joël Robuchon revolutionized the French fine-dining world by developing a post-nouvelle approach that better fit the new contemporary lifestyles. He focused on simplicity and showcased the natural flavors of high-quality ingredients, elevating a more hearty and simple menu.
5 Facts About Joël Robuchon
- Robuchon originally planned to enter the priesthood
Growing up in a small French town in the Loire Valley, Robuchon was one of four children raised in a modest upbringing. He went to a private Catholic seminary where he wanted to study to be a priest.
Young Joël found his true calling when he started working in the kitchens, peeling vegetables with the Nuns. He fell in love with cooking, and after leaving the seminary, he began apprenticing as a pastry chef at a restaurant by the age of 15.
Due to Robuchon’s strong work ethic, he quickly rose the ranks of the kitchen brigade and began running the line at the Concorde Lafayette Hotel in Paris by age 30.
- Has received 31 Michelin Stars
Joël Robuchon revolutionized French cuisine when he opened his first restaurant, Jamin, in 1981 by creating “moderne” cuisine. A year after opening the restaurant, he received his first Michelin star, which is a pretty rare recognition for a brand-new restaurant. Then received two stars the following year, and the third star in 1984–three years after opening.
Decades later, Robuchon has opened over 20 restaurants worldwide and still holds the record for receiving the most Michelin stars.
Even after all his success, Robuchon was as humble as ever, stating, “There is no thing as the perfect meal; one can always do better.”
- Joël Robuchon considers Steak Frites the telltale sign of how well a chef can cook
When asked what his favorite dish to order at a restaurant, Robuchon said in this interview, “That is one of the key dishes that you can order in a restaurant anywhere – and is often where a chef can show off his skills through the simplest of dishes by choosing the best cut and preparing it to perfection.”
Robuchon is renowned for taking simple dishes and elevating the experience with exceptionally well-sourced ingredients.
- Robuchon launched a cooking academy
“There is a very famous proverb saying that goes something like this, ‘when an old man dies, a library burns down.’ I have seen so many good chefs—some famous, some not—who have gone and, with them, a part of knowledge and tradition is lost and nobody can take it back”, Robuchon had said.
In the year of his death, 2018, Robuchon’s plans to open a culinary school finally came to fruition. He partnered with a prestigious catering school to launch a cooking academy in an old monastery near his home in France. What a full circle moment to give back to his community in a similar space where he found his direction in life.
Robuchon wanted to nurture young chefs and provide them with the right fundamental tools to succeed in the industry. He said, “I want them to have good theoretical knowledge and a strong foundation, so a high quality of transmission and technical know-how is important. When I started, I was training in the kitchen and did not learn in school. But now, people go to school and do not face the real world enough.”
- His signature dish is mashed potatoes
Joël Robuchon has quite the repertoire of acclaimed fare. Among them are caviar with cauliflower cream and the langoustine ravioli with truffles–but none more revered than his mashed potatoes.
The ingredients for Joël Robuchon’s Pommes Puree are simple–potatoes, butter, milk, and salt to taste– but the technique is what makes the dish Michelin-worthy. The potatoes are silky, smooth, and creamy.
The recipe is as follows,
“The potatoes are boiled whole, peeled, and pressed through a food mill. The resulting potato fluff is then dried out over a low flame before the butter is added, gradually. Eliminating excess moisture from the cooked potatoes ensures the resulting mash is neither gluey nor loose. Ideally, the finished puree is smooth, meltingly soft, and barely holds its shape, like gently whipped cream.”
Stay tuned for more fun facts that you might now know about other famous chefs.
