Getting to Know Chef Paul Bocuse
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If there is one thing that could be said about Chef Paul Bocuse is that he has made a lot of contributions to the French culinary world and gastronomy in general. Because of his culinary and teaching skills, many chefs have aspired to become one of his students, not only for the skills that they can learn from the great chef but also for the opportunities that will open up once they finish their apprenticeship.
But, who is Chef Paul Bocuse, really? What made him as one of the best chefs not only in the whole of France but in the international culinary scene as well? More importantly, what are his contributions as a great chef?
Life and Work
Chef Bocuse was born near Lyons, in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, on the 11th of February 1926. He came from a family that has long been involved in the restaurant and culinary industry ever since the late 1600s. However, it was not all good for their hotel/restaurant because when Chef Bocuse finally took over the reins of their family business in the late 1950s, their business was already doing poorly and losing customers and revenues.
Before he became the head of their family restaurant’s kitchen though, he was first an apprentice in Lyon’s Restaurant de la Soierie at the age of 15, where he worked and learned under the tutelage of Chef Claude Maret. This marked the official start of his culinary career. Two years later, when he was 17 years old, he left the restaurant to enlist himself in the French Resistance. When he was fighting in Alsace, he got wounded by the Germans, and he was then treated at a field hospital where he recuperated.
In June 1945, Chef Bocuse participated in Paris’ Victory March before returning back home to Lyons to complete his apprenticeship and training at the La Mere Brasier, which is located in Cold de la Luere. Part of his apprenticeship and duties at the La Mere Brasier included milking the cows as well as washing dishes, aside from cooking. He also had to do some other duties outside the regular kitchen responsibilities such as ironing.
After La Mere Brasier, he then went back to Paris where he found work at the La Pyramide. Here, he furthered his culinary skill under the tutelage of Chef Fernand Point. He stayed here for eight years before moving back home and taking over their family-owned business, which was then doing poorly.
It was in 1958 that he earned his first Michelin star, propelling his restaurant to prominence once more and earning a good reputation for himself. Two years after, in 1961, he earned another award that named him as France’s Best Worker, the Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In 1962, Chef Bocuse earned his second Michelin star, and in 1965, he finally earned his third Michelin star.
More awards came pouring in. On the 25th of February 1975, then French President Valery Giscard awarded him Legion d’Honneur, and in 1987, he became an Officer of the Legion of Honour. Aside from these, Gault & Millau also named him as Chef of the Century in 1989, among other awards that he won and earned.
Chef Bocuse has also involved himself not only in teaching his culinary students, which are then flocking to his restaurant from all over the globe, but also in writing books and cookbooks, one of which is the famous Cuisine de France. To date, his books are being distributed and circulated in about 14 countries or more, and they have even been translated to more than nine languages.
Chef Bocuse has also immersed himself more in the financial aspect of his profession. He began partnering up with manufacturers and distributors to produce and distribute restaurant items and products that have been branded under his own name.
He has also become very active in the culinary world, promoting French cuisine, becoming spokesperson for a variety of other brands, and opening up numerous restaurants. In fact, it can be said that Chef Bocuse is one of the earliest “celebrity chefs” that have catapulted the humble profession into stardom.
Culinary Style
His styles in cooking and creating dishes have made him popular as one of the forefront chefs related to the French Nouvelle Cuisine. This is very much different from the French Cuisine Classique, which is more opulent as well as more calorific. He shied away from the use of heavy creams as well as butter sauces to intensify the flavors of a dish, and instead, he highlighted the natural flavors of a dish by making use of fresh ingredients. The simpler recipes that burst with fresh and unique flavors coupled with interesting textures have catapulted him to fame, which earned him prestigious national and international awards and recognitions. He became one of the big promoters of using only the freshest ingredients to obtain the highest quality that you can give to a dish.
Contributions to the French and International Culinary World
All in all, he has made a very big contribution to the culinary world by taking aspiring and young chefs under his wings and helping them become great chefs like he is, one of which is Eckart Witzigmann.
Chef Bocuse has also created numerous books which have become not only a must-have in any restaurant kitchen and home but also a standard in French cooking lessons.
He became a spokesman for a variety of brands as well as hosted and participated at numerous events and charities that benefit worthy causes and people. He is also reaching millions of people through his website where he shares and teaches his advocacies.
Lastly, he created Bocuse d’Or. Also known as the World Cuisine Contest or the Concours Mondial de la Cuisine, the Bocuse d’Or is a very prestigious cooking competition that is held every two years in Lyon, France. If the Olympic Games are for sports, then the Bocuse d’Or is for the culinary world. The Bocuse d’Or was first launched in 1987, and ever since then, great chefs from all over the globe trek to the country to participate at the said event in the hopes of being named as the best chef in the world.
Image Credit: robarra.com.au
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Australian Chef- Matthew J. Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the ProChef360 platform.
Fascinating journey & what an awesome contribution to the industry huh.
[Reply]
Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
January 29th, 2011 at 8:04 am
Too right.
A true ambassador to cuisine.
Matthew
[Reply]