The world of Haute Cuisine mourns today one of the chef greatest he ever had. At the age of 73, he died Joel Robuchon, the iconic cook of a innovative French cuisine, the most starred chef (32 stars!), the "genius of transalpine gastronomy" - as he was called. The man who had collected among the most prestigious awards in the industry, such as the distinction of Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1976, Best Chef of the Year in 1987 and Best Chef of the Century in 1990.
He passed away in Geneva after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer that had severely debilitated him in recent weeks. Great sadness among all those in the field who always saw in him a master to emulate. Robuchon was in charge of a gastronomic empire scattered all over the world: restaurants that take its philosophy of Cuisine to every corner of the planet: in the motherland, in Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, New York, Bangkok and Las Vegas with its "Atelier“.
Already with the disappearance in recent months of Paul Bocuse, another exponent of the Catering Gotha, the gastronomic transalpine had suffered a great loss that is now accentuated, leaving a void, which can only be filled by the memory and example of the two chefs.
“Cooking is simplicity, and the most difficult thing is simplicity". It was what Robuchon always repeated. He, who innovated the Kitchen, putting the products first, which he chose with almost maniacal rigor, who remained true to the rule of simplicity and tradition, proud that his most representative dish was always a simple, but unique, mashed potatoes.
A passion for cooking that began at age 15, when he left his religious studies and recycled himself as a pastry-cook's helper, then went from one restaurant to another, before becoming, at age 29, head of a 90-person team at the Concorde Lafayette in Paris.
Then the first trophy at age 30: "Best Artisan of France." Then we find him at Nikko where he receives his first two Michelin stars. In 1981 he opened his first restaurant, Le Jamin in the 16th arrondissement, and achieved a triple star and then, in '90, won the title of "chef of the century," given to him by the Gault & Millau guide.
In his 50s, he devoted himself to writing gastronomy books, now considered bibles in the field, and participated in TV shows (such as the legendary "Bòn appentit, bien sur"), always bringing his characteristic savoir faire and his spasmodic search for simplicity to the stage. A precious and authentic minimalism, still a true standard for many aspiring chefs.
