Bernard Loiseau
Bernard Loiseau | |
---|---|
Born | Bernard Daniel Jacques Loiseau 13 January 1951 Suicide by gunshot |
Education | La Maison Troisgros |
Culinary career | |
Rating(s)
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Current restaurant(s) |
Bernard Daniel Jacques Loiseau (French pronunciation:
In 2003, a short time after having become a member of the Relais & Châteaux association, Loiseau was downgraded from 19/20 to 17/20 in the Gault et Millau guide and received a strong negative media review from the gastronomic critic François Simon in the newspaper Le Figaro, but he still had his three stars in the Michelin Guide.[4] As criticism continued to pour in and while the media speculated about a possible future loss of a Michelin star, he died by suicide by self-inflicted gunshot without giving any explanation. The theories aiming at explaining his death are the object of strong polemics.[5][6] His decision was likely due to increased bouts of clinical depression.[7]
Early life
Loiseau was born in
Career
In 1972, Loiseau began working for
Bernard Loiseau established Bernard Loiseau SA in 1998, and was the first star restaurateur to establish the concept of having one's restaurant incorporated and traded. At the time of his death, he was the only French chef traded on the stock exchange.[8] Under Bernard Loiseau SA, Loiseau published numerous books, established a line of frozen foods, and opened three eateries in Paris, in addition to running La Côte d'Or and its adjoining boutique shop.
The French government awarded him its highest honour, the decorations of Chevalier (Knight) de la
Death
In the late 1990s, a new form of Asian-inspired "
Loiseau died by suicide on 24 February 2003, shooting himself in the head with a shotgun after presiding over the lunch service in his restaurant.[11][12] The Gault Millau guide had recently downgraded his restaurant from 19/20 to 17/20, and there were also rumours in Le Figaro[13] that the Michelin Guide was planning to remove one of La Côte d'Or's three stars.[14]
Loiseau had made a life's ambition of becoming a three-star chef, a goal which had required 17 years of hard work at La Côte d'Or to achieve. After his death, three-star chef Jacques Lameloise said Loiseau had once confided, "If I lose a star, I'll kill myself".[8] While it was later reported that Loiseau was despondent over his debt issues and decreasing patronage at his restaurant, Michelin still received blame in some accounts.[15]
As of 2021 La Côte d'Or remains a two-star establishment in the hands of executive chef Patrick Bertron.[16]
In popular media
The plot of the 2007 Pixar animated film Ratatouille has its roots in Loiseau's life story, with the film's character of chef Auguste Gusteau being inspired by both Loiseau and Paul Bocuse.[17] La Côte d'Or was one of the restaurants visited by director Brad Bird and others in France.[18][19]
Further reading
- Rudolph Chelminski, 2005. The Perfectionist : Life and Death in Haute Cuisine (Gotham/Penguin). Biography
- William Echikson, 1995. "Burgundy Stars: A Year in the Life of a Great French Restaurant" (Little, Brown).
References
- ^ Saulieu-Morvan Tourist Office
- ^ www.dandy-magazine.com/bernard-loiseau/
- ^ www.larousse.fr/archives/journaux_année/2004/11/bernard_loiseau
- ^ "Michelin guide 'covered up criticism of top French suicide chef'". Le Point. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "La vérité sur le suicide du chef Bernard Loiseau". L'Express. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Dix ans après la mort de Bernard Loiseau, querelle de chroniqueurs gastronomiques". Le Monde. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Michelin guide 'covered up criticism of top French suicide chef'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b "French Furor Over Chef's Apparent Suicide". CBS News. 25 February 2003. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- JORF. 1994 (162): 10178. 14 July 1994. PREX9411369D. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- ^ JORF. 2002 (102): 7882. 2 May 2002. PREX0205524D. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- ^ Leopold, Todd (28 July 2005). "The master chef who killed himself: A story of a star 'Perfectionist'". CNN.
- ^ Ripley, Amanda (2 March 2003). "Recipe for Tragedy". Time. Archived from the original on 19 March 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ The New Yorker 2003/05/12
- ^ Henry Samuel (23 January 2013). "Michelin guide 'covered up criticism of top French suicide chef'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ISBN 2-84990-006-0.
- ^ "Le Relais Bernard Loiseau – Saulieu: a Michelin Guide restaurant". www.viamichelin.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ Molly Moore and Corinne Gavard (14 August 2007). "A Taste of Whimsy Wows the French". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "Parlez-vous Francais". Yahoo!. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
- ^ "Quand Paul Bocuse fricotait avec Rémy, le héros du film Ratatouille". BFM TV (in French). 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.