Henri Gault
Henri Gault was a French food journalist. He was co-founder of the Gault Millau guides with Christian Millau, and invented the phrase nouvelle cuisine. He later stated that he regretted it.
Biography
Gault was born Henri Gaudichon on 4 November 1929 in Pacy-sur-Eure, France. Following in his father's foot steps, he started his studies in medicine. In 1956 he became a reporter for the French newspapers Paris-Presse and L'Intransigeant.In 1961 he began working for Paris Presse mainly covering local politics. The then editor of the paper, Christian Millau, asked Gault to try writing restaurant reviews. Given the success of the reviews, Gault and Millau compiled the reviews into a book called Guide Julliard. An American version of the book was later published by Odyssey Press.
In 1969 they started the monthly magazine GaultMillau which would eventually be published as separate editions for different regions of France. The first volume of the GaultMillau guide was published in 1972.
In 1973, Gault and Millau invented the term nouvelle cuisine in an article where they discussed the 10 commandments of the nouvelle cuisine:Do not overcookYou will use only high quality, fresh productsYou will simplify your menuYou will not be resolutely modernistYou will strive to learn from new techniquesYou will avoid marinating, aging, fermenting etc.You will eliminate rich saucesYou won’t ignore nutritionYou won’t fake your presentationsYou will be inventive
Gault died from a heart attack on 9 July 2000 in Saint-Sulpice-en-Pareds at the age of 71.