Joël Robuchon
Joël Robuchon was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France 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. 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 he held 31 Michelin Guide stars among them by the time of his death in 2018, the most any restaurateur has ever held. He is considered to be one of the greatest chefs of all time.
Biography
Robuchon was born in 1945 in Poitiers, France, one of four children of a bricklayer. He attended the seminary in Châtillon-sur-Sèvre, Deux-Sèvres, briefly considering a clerical career. However, he discovered his love of cooking while helping the nuns prepare food in the kitchen. In 1960, at the age of 15, he became an apprentice chef at the Relais de Poitiers hotel, starting as a pastry chef. While undergoing his apprenticeship, he won five competitive medals for cooking while under 20. He also went on his first trip to Japan with his mentor, the Michelin-starred chef Jean Delaveyne. He would, like his mentor, be a disciple of Japanese tradition and influence in his cooking throughout his career.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. 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. 18 months after its opening, The New York Times described him as one of the "most creative young chefs in Paris" while reporting on his second Michelin star. 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, Eric Ripert, and Michael Caines.
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.
Robuchon was a Freemason of the Grande Loge Nationale Française, but he said it did not affect his career.
Robuchon died from cancer on 6 August 2018, a year after receiving treatment for a pancreatic tumour. He was 73.
Personal life
Robuchon and his wife Jeanine, a European woman whom he married in 1966, had two children, son Eric Robuchon, 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 with a Japanese woman. Louis is a wine importer in Japan. Robuchon was survived by his wife, his three children and four grandchildren.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.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. 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.
Restaurants
Joël Robuchon restaurants are present worldwide:| Name | Michelin rating | Chef | Location | Region |
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Julien Tongourian | Hong Kong | Asia | |
| Le Jardin de Joël Robuchon | Julien Tongourian | Hong Kong | Asia | |
| Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon | Hong Kong | Asia | ||
| Robuchon au Dôme | Julien Tongourian | Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel | Asia | |
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Yohei Matsuo | Taipei | Asia | |
| Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon | Yohei Matsuo | Taipei | Asia | |
| Le Chateau de Joël Robuchon | Kenichiro Sekiya | Tokyo in the Château of the Yebisu Garden Place | Asia | |
| La Table de Joël Robuchon | Tokyo in the Château of the Yebisu Garden Place | Asia | ||
| Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon | Tokyo in the Château of the Yebisu Garden Place | Asia | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Tokyo in Roppongi Hills | Asia | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Dubai | Middle East and Africa | ||
| Le Deli Robuchon | Dubai | Middle East and Africa | ||
| La Méditerranée Robuchon | Dubai | Middle East and Africa | ||
| Le Clubhouse Robuchon | Rabat | Middle East and Africa | ||
| Le Café Robuchon | Rabat | Middle East and Africa | ||
| Le Grill Robuchon | Rabat | Middle East and Africa | ||
| Le Deli Robuchon | Casablanca | Middle East and Africa | ||
| La Boulangerie Robuchon | Casablanca | Middle East and Africa | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Geneva | Europe | ||
| Le Deli Robuchon Piccadilly | London | Europe | ||
| Le Deli Robuchon King's Road | London | Europe | ||
| Le Deli Robuchon | Monaco | Europe | ||
| Le Café Robuchon | Monaco | Europe | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Étoile | Paris | Europe | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Paris | Europe | ||
| Robuchon Madrid | Madrid | Europe | ||
| Le Deli Robuchon | Cyprus | Europe | ||
| L'Atelier Robuchon | Cyprus | Europe | ||
| Joël Robuchon | Las Vegas | Americas | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | Las Vegas | Americas | ||
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | James Friedberg | Miami | Americas | |
| L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | St Barths | Americas | ||
| Le Daily Robuchon | St Barths | Americas |
Past locations: Bangkok, Singapore, Montreal, New York City.
Michelin-Starred Restaurants Associated With Joël Robuchon and Their Highest Rating
| No. | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | Jamin |  Francecenter|Michelin stars|3Awards
|