French chef throws in his Michelin stars
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AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 11, 2008 00:00
PARIS - Olivier Roellinger, one of France's greatest chefs, is closing his three-star restaurant on the grounds of fatigue and other personal reasons. One of 26 chefs currently boasting the three-star, Roellinger is also among critics' favorites, hailed for gastronomic ingenuity
One of France's greatest chefs, Olivier Roellinger, is closing his three-star restaurant due to fatigue and other personal reasons, the latest of several top cooks to give up their high-pressure establishments.
Roellinger, 53, whose award-winning restaurant is located in the small Brittany port of Cancale in western France, said, "After 26 years of happiness standing by the oven, it is becoming increasingly difficult each day to cope with physical demands." He is the fourth Michelin three-star chef to throw in the towel in recent years, after then "chef of the century," Joel Robuchon, gave up his stars in 1996 at the age of 51, saying life in the fast lane was too stressful. He was followed by Alain Senderens in 2005 and Alain Westermann in 2006.
The three chefs have since opened new award-winning eateries. Badly beaten at the age of 20, Roellinger began cooking during his two-year convalescence and subsequently dropped out of university to become a chef. A seafood, spices and vegetable connoisseur, he won his third star from the Michelin Guide food bible in 2006 for his eponymous restaurant, which will close Dec. 15.
"I will transmit and share my cuisine differently from now on, more in line with my deep desire to communicate with others," he said. "I will go toward a wider public and be more available than I could have been by keeping the three stars," said Roellinger, who also runs a bakery, a spice-oriented grocery, a cooking school, bed and breakfasts and a smaller bistro-restaurant, all in Cancale.
"We are sad to see Roellinger retire from haute gastronomy," said the director of the Michelin Guide Jean-Luc Naret.
One of 26 chefs currently boasting the three-star distinction from the revered food bible, Roellinger is also among a handful of critics' favorites, hailed for gastronomic ingenuity and talent.
’Michelin brought him glory’
"By making this decision, he has decided to maintain his joy in cooking," said food writer Francois Simon in the daily Le Figaro on Saturday. "The Michelin brought him glory, but he remained wise."
Simon said winning one Michelin star could change a chef's life overnight, as bankers unrolled the red carpet, butchers offered their finest fare and customers came rushing. "A star means the sun shines day and night," he wrote. "But after the star, you have to hang in and not lose. For a star, chefs have sacrificed their family life, their savings and their free time."
"With three stars, life is even worse," he added. "This decision may move other great chefs." Dropping a gastronomic bombshell over a decade ago, Robuchon, almost a demi-god in the world of fine food and named the century's best by the Gault-Millau food guide, slammed the door on his three-star eatery at the pinnacle of its success. "There is too much stress, I want to live," he said at the time.
Maintaining three-star quality, day in day out, was gruelling, high-pressure stuff, Robuchon said. He pulled out after seeing too many chefs die young or grow old too soon. Not only was there the cuisine to watch and care for, but also the decor, the banks, the taxes and the critics.
"Times have changed," he said. "People want less sophisticated, quality cooking, and they want atmosphere."
Robuchon's restaurants he has opened since then, have earned him the most Michelin stars of any chef, 18 for various restaurants around the world, ahead of 14 for fellow Frenchman Alain Ducasse.
In 2005, another big name in French cuisine, Alain Senderens, gave up his three Michelin stars at Lucas Carton, after 28 years, in search of a simpler, less formal approach to dining. "Everything is changing," he said, adding that people wanted "a great meal without all the fuss."
The following year in 2006, Strasbourg-based Antoine Westermann also cited changing times as his reason for walking out, and going back to the oven to make simpler fare at the Drouant in Paris.
Grand elaborate tables belonged to the 20th century, critic Simon said. The new trend in the 21st century would be smaller more personal tables, such as Roellinger's.
Roellinger, 53, whose award-winning restaurant is located in the small Brittany port of Cancale in western France, said, "After 26 years of happiness standing by the oven, it is becoming increasingly difficult each day to cope with physical demands." He is the fourth Michelin three-star chef to throw in the towel in recent years, after then "chef of the century," Joel Robuchon, gave up his stars in 1996 at the age of 51, saying life in the fast lane was too stressful. He was followed by Alain Senderens in 2005 and Alain Westermann in 2006.
The three chefs have since opened new award-winning eateries. Badly beaten at the age of 20, Roellinger began cooking during his two-year convalescence and subsequently dropped out of university to become a chef. A seafood, spices and vegetable connoisseur, he won his third star from the Michelin Guide food bible in 2006 for his eponymous restaurant, which will close Dec. 15.
"I will transmit and share my cuisine differently from now on, more in line with my deep desire to communicate with others," he said. "I will go toward a wider public and be more available than I could have been by keeping the three stars," said Roellinger, who also runs a bakery, a spice-oriented grocery, a cooking school, bed and breakfasts and a smaller bistro-restaurant, all in Cancale.
"We are sad to see Roellinger retire from haute gastronomy," said the director of the Michelin Guide Jean-Luc Naret.
One of 26 chefs currently boasting the three-star distinction from the revered food bible, Roellinger is also among a handful of critics' favorites, hailed for gastronomic ingenuity and talent.
’Michelin brought him glory’
"By making this decision, he has decided to maintain his joy in cooking," said food writer Francois Simon in the daily Le Figaro on Saturday. "The Michelin brought him glory, but he remained wise."
Simon said winning one Michelin star could change a chef's life overnight, as bankers unrolled the red carpet, butchers offered their finest fare and customers came rushing. "A star means the sun shines day and night," he wrote. "But after the star, you have to hang in and not lose. For a star, chefs have sacrificed their family life, their savings and their free time."
"With three stars, life is even worse," he added. "This decision may move other great chefs." Dropping a gastronomic bombshell over a decade ago, Robuchon, almost a demi-god in the world of fine food and named the century's best by the Gault-Millau food guide, slammed the door on his three-star eatery at the pinnacle of its success. "There is too much stress, I want to live," he said at the time.
Maintaining three-star quality, day in day out, was gruelling, high-pressure stuff, Robuchon said. He pulled out after seeing too many chefs die young or grow old too soon. Not only was there the cuisine to watch and care for, but also the decor, the banks, the taxes and the critics.
"Times have changed," he said. "People want less sophisticated, quality cooking, and they want atmosphere."
Robuchon's restaurants he has opened since then, have earned him the most Michelin stars of any chef, 18 for various restaurants around the world, ahead of 14 for fellow Frenchman Alain Ducasse.
In 2005, another big name in French cuisine, Alain Senderens, gave up his three Michelin stars at Lucas Carton, after 28 years, in search of a simpler, less formal approach to dining. "Everything is changing," he said, adding that people wanted "a great meal without all the fuss."
The following year in 2006, Strasbourg-based Antoine Westermann also cited changing times as his reason for walking out, and going back to the oven to make simpler fare at the Drouant in Paris.
Grand elaborate tables belonged to the 20th century, critic Simon said. The new trend in the 21st century would be smaller more personal tables, such as Roellinger's.