Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon (1945–2018) was a French chef regarded by many of his peers as the greatest cook of his generation. Born in Poitiers and originally destined for the priesthood, he discovered his vocation in the seminary kitchens and went on to train classically through the brigades of Paris before opening Jamin in 1981. Within three years Jamin earned three Michelin stars — the fastest ascent in the guide's history at the time — and Robuchon was named Chef of the Century by Gault Millau in 1990.

At his peak Robuchon's global restaurant empire — spanning Paris, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Monaco, London, Bordeaux, Bangkok, Taipei, Shanghai, New York and Montreal — held a combined 31 Michelin stars, more than any chef in history. His L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon concept, with diners seated around an open counter rather than at tables, was a revolutionary format that influenced fine dining worldwide.

Despite the empire, Robuchon's cooking was famously restrained. He believed in fewer ingredients, perfect technique and what he called 'the truth of the product'. His pommes purée — potato purée made with a 1:1 ratio of butter to potato — became one of the most copied dishes of the late twentieth century. He retired briefly in 1996 at the age of fifty-one before returning a decade later, mentoring chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Eric Ripert along the way.