Biography
Joël Robuchon at The Mansion; Robuchon's legendary, namesake restaurant
Robuchon was born in Poitiers, France, and at the age of 15 became an apprentice chef at the Relais of Poitiers hotel. At 28, he was appointed as head chef at the hotel Harmony-Lafayette and was awarded the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In 1989, he was awarded "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau. He later started his own restaurant in Paris. He has mentored such distinguished chefs as Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert and Michael Caines. At 31, he won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France for his excellent craftsmanship in Culinary Arts.
Robuchon was the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. Since the mid-eighties, he has been called the primus inter pares of Paris' three star chefs for his work both at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant.
He was known for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine. His food was seen as instrumental in leading French cuisine away from the excesses—and excessive reductionism—of nouvelle cuisine. In particular, his cuisine was seen as harkening back to a more authentic, even bourgeois French cuisine—the "cuisine actuelle" of Patricia Wells' book (re-published as "Simply French") which focused on making each ingredient taste of itself.
In recent years, Robuchon has attempted to make his style of cooking more accessible to the masses, particularly with the release of his cookbook, The Complete Robuchon.
Restaurants
L'Atelier restaurant, Paris
* Hong Kong - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon
* Las Vegas - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Joël Robuchon at The Mansion
* London - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon
* Macau - Robuchon á Galera
* Monaco - Restaurant Joël Robuchon
* New York - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
* Paris - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, La Table de Joël Robuchon
* Tokyo - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Le Chateau de Joël Robuchon, La Table de Joël Robuchon
Joel Robuchon opened his latest restaurant, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, at the Landmark Tower in Hong Kong on November 28, 2006.
Awards
* Joël Robuchon at the Mansion Las Vegas Gayot Top 40 Restaurants in the US in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
* Best French Restaurant, Best Chef in Las Vegas, Las Vegas Life 2007 Epicurean Awards
* Rated "3 Stars" 2008 Las Vegas Michelin Guid
* "Hot Tables" 2006 CondeNast Traveller
* Five-Star Award, 2007 Mobil Travel Guide
* Best French Restaurant in Las Vegas, 2006-2009, So. Nevada Hotel Concierge Assoc.
* The Laurent Perrier 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award at The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009
Cookbooks
* Tout Robuchon (published as The Complete Robuchon in English)
* French Cheeses
* Joël Robuchon Cooking Through the Seasons
* La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon
* L'Atelier of Joël Robuchon: The Artistry of a Master Chef and His Protégés
* Le Grand Larousse Gastronomique
