Joel Robuchon: Top-tier in France and the U.S

[barawidan]

My question is Who is Joel Robuchon what is his influence on the culinary world? What's his legacy? What are his organizng principals for his body of work?

From the research I've found he beleived in respecting the orignal flavor of a product, how has this affected the thinking of the time? I also read he arose during the time of nouvelle cusine and was the next step in culinary progression, in the sense that in novelle cuisine the flavors weren't so distinct? Is this a correct assumption?

How does Robuchon fit into the history of american cuisne? I read an interview where he liked the owrk of Alice Waters and beleive that her work echoes what he does in France? Did any he train an american chefs?

[johnsmith45678]

I quote my friend Eric Ripert on the subject of Joël Robuchon: “When I think of Robuchon, I see a dark, dark street.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,43...34000_2,00.html

What does Ripert mean?

[robert40]

I quote my friend Eric Ripert on the subject of Joël Robuchon: “When I think of Robuchon, I see a dark, dark street.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,43...34000_2,00.html

What does Ripert mean?

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Very tough and demanding with a fierce temper. I'm willing to guess that's what Ripert meant.

[melkor]

Eric Ripert is the chef at Le Bernardin.

[robert40]

Eric Ripert is the chef at Le Bernardin.

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Yes, And worked for Robuchon at Jamin.

[johnsmith45678]

Ripert seems like a nice guy.

[francois]

Patricia Wells has written a excellent cookbook about the cuisine of Joel Robuchon. He comes across as an excellent chef, somewhat compulsive in his search for details. The recipes are truly excellent, some are kind of long to make and expensive, but fool-proof and memorable.

Surprinsingly, Robuchon has written a few books by himself (so he claims). Not at all at the same level. More ordinary and kind of disapointing. A few of the recipes in the Atelier of Joel Robuchon are nice or comparable to Patricia Well's. Another book about classic french cuisine is ordinary...

So, who is the real Joel Robuchon? My guess is that you'll find him in the details...

[kristin_71]

Sounds like he is no different than say, Thomas Keller or Gray Koonz.

Edited January 3, 2007 by kristin_71 (log)

[robert40]

Sounds like he is no different than say, Thomas Keller or Gray Koonz.

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Good point. Few remember that almost everything written about Keller in the early 90's was what a tyrant he was in the kitchen.

[Jon Tseng]

Sounds like he is no different than say, Thomas Keller or Gray Koonz.

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Good point. Few remember that almost everything written about Keller in the early 90's was what a tyrant he was in the kitchen.

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Flipping heck! I trust we are being ironic here... Either that or eGullet has lost all sense of historical perspective...

In brief Joel Robuchon was the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. From the mid-eighties first at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant on the rue Poincare he was acknowledged as the primus inter pares of Paris' *** chefs.

He was renowned for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine and a number of glittering signature dishes, notable his cauliflower cream with caviar. However his significance was much more than beign a great technician.

His food was seen as instrumental in leading French cuisine away from the excesses - and excesses reductionism of la cuisine nouvelle. In particular his cuisine was seen as hearkening back to a more authentic, even bourgeois French cuisine - the "cusine actuelle" of Patricia Wells' book (re-published as "Simply French") which focused on making each ingredient taste of itself. It is notable that his most famous signature is, of course, his fabulous pomme puree (or, to be more accurate, butter puree with a smudge of potato) - ostensibly a humble dish. Quite the anti-thesis of conventional haute.

His greatest significance was thus - that he changed the direction of culinary thinking. That is why, incidentally, he was more significant than a Thomas Keller or Gary Kunz. They worked within a culinary paradigm. Robuchon (like Bocuse before him and Ducasse and Adria after him) worked to reshape the culinary paradigm. Put succiently: he is significant because he broke new ground.

That's a brief summary - obviously there are a number of omissions (particularly his second incarnation as the purveyer of Atelier de McRobuchons). I'm sure those with more experience can add more, but it should be a start.

regards

J

PS With regards to his written output Robuchon is, yes, far less prolific than modern-day peers such as Adria or Ducasse. Patricia Well's Cuisine Actuelle is a notable attempt to translate *** cuisine to the home kitchen, though I believe that some recipes are simplified for the same reasons. There's a Four Seasons book which is a translation of French newspaper columns. I think there is a greater corpus of work in French - see amazon.fr for more.

Edited January 3, 2007 by Jon Tseng (log)

[jsmeeker]

I ate at one of his " Atelier de McRobuchons" establishments. At the time, it was the only one in the USA. (Las Vegas). The meal was fantastic.

[kristin_71]

Sounds like he is no different than say, Thomas Keller or Gray Kunz.

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Good point. Few remember that almost everything written about Keller in the early 90's was what a tyrant he was in the kitchen.

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Yea most don't remember that. Keller himself has admitted he was an asshole. I think he admitted that insubordination is what got him fired as the exec. chef of Checkers in L.A..

Edited January 5, 2007 by kristin_71 (log)