Britain’s chefs pay tribute as French maestro Albert Roux, dies age 85
Chefs in Britain are mourning the death of the French chef Albert Roux, who with his brother, Michel, inspired a revolution in Britain’s restaurant and food world.
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A short statement from his family issued on Wednesday said that Roux had died on 4 January after being unwell for some time.
Albert Roux arrived in the UK in the mid-1950s and more than 60 years later he is credited with inspiring and nurturing a generation of chefs in Britain who went on to set up leading restaurants themselves.
The son of a charcutier in Saône-et-Loire, he trained as a patissier before going to Britain.
He took a job as a commis chef and quickly realized how much he could offer British people in search of fine dining created with French gastronomic flare.
Change
Restaurants in Britain at the time were overpriced, ingredients were limited and the food was often served in an unimaginative way.
In 1967 he used his £3,000 savings and money he had borrowed from friends to open Le Gavroche in Chelsea, west London.
The exciting new dishes, beautiful presentation and high standards of service had an immediate impact and the restaurant earned a reputation as the place for London dining. It also forced other venues to raise their game.
The restaurant later moved a few kilometres west to Mayfair and in 1982 it became the first in Britain to earn three Michelin stars.
Roux was overjoyed, declaring at the time: “I have no other ambition.”
Sustained quality
The brothers also opened a restaurant in Bray, a village on the banks of the Thames west of London. The Waterside Inn also earned three Michelin stars in 1985.
Both restaurants are now run by Michel’s son, also called Michel.
Le Gavroche still has two Michelin stars and The Waterside Inn remains the only restaurant outside France to have retained its three Michelin stars every year since they were first awarded.
The brothers founded the Roux Brothers Scholarships in 1984, allowing talented chefs to train at Michelin-starred restaurants.
We are deeply saddened to have lost our founder and patron Albert Roux. His legacy will live on in the thousands of chefs he inspired and trained. pic.twitter.com/8GSp5jJTkG
— Roux Scholarship (@RouxScholarship) January 6, 2021
Many of Britain’s top chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Marco-Pierre White spent time working for Albert Roux in Le Gavroche
Ramsay was among many who paid tribute on Wednesday.
"So so sad to hear about the passing of this legend, the man who installed gastronomy in Britain," said Ramsay on Instagram.
Another chef, Tom Kitchin, wrote: "One of the true culinary greats has left us."
Albert’s brother, Michel, died in March last year at the age of 78.
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