Famous Chefs Who Didn't Attend Culinary School?

[paul o' vendange]

Jacques Pepin and Andre Soltner come to mind. But they are not exactly "self-taught." They went into the business at a time when it was still typical, at least in France, to start very young as a galley slave in the old-fashioned apprentice system.

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Yes, and off the top of my head I don't know that I know any truly "self-taught" cooks.

Although "molecular gastronomy" certainly throws a kink in the (I think it was Andre Soltner's) notion "there is no new food," I think this is largely true - whether from formal study, vicarious study, or direct work with "one who proceeded before," new food rests on old food. Thomas Keller, for instance, spent time with Roland Henin and staged at Taillevent, Guy Savoy and Le Pré Catalan. (I knew the first two stages, didn't know the latter).

[Claudia Greco]

Jacques Pepin and Andre Soltner come to mind. But they are not exactly "self-taught." They went into the business at a time when it was still typical, at least in France, to start very young as a galley slave in the old-fashioned apprentice system.

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Yes, and off the top of my head I don't know that I know any truly "self-taught" cooks.

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Not exactly "self-taught", but I believe Wolfgang Puck, too, never went to culinary school - but learned his craft at his parents' inn/restaurant? (Sorry if Wolfie was mentioned before - my CPU mysteriously had all sorts of controls and pop-up blockers added to it, and I've been eGullet-blocked for several days, to my disgust.)

[lizard]

Appears Wolfgang Puck didn't either:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/wolfgang_p...1702053,00.html

Conversely, Emeril has a doctorate from J&W? Wow, didn't know there was such a thing.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/emeril_lag...OD_9823,00.html

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Wolfgang had formal training in an apprenticeship before coming over from Austria. What the biography doesn't tell you is that after coming over from Europe (before becoming "the star attraction at Ma Maison" ) he slaved away at a hotel chain in Indiana.

The locale wasn't so bad though. He said the midwestern girls loved that he was so exotic. It being the seventies, I'm sure he did quite alright.