😉 Greetings to regular and new readers of the site “Ladies-Gentlemen”! Bernard Loiseau is the culinary king of France, consummate restaurateur and Knight of the Legion of Honor.
“He put his heart on a plate …” So they talked about the legislator of the new French cuisine, the owner of restaurants in France and abroad, a happy husband and father of three children … His life was interrupted by a shot from a hunting rifle.
He worked 19 hours a day, leaving 4 to sleep. He had not been on vacation for 18 years. His wife often repeated: “I never cease to wonder how you got children with your job.”
Bernard Loiseau celebrated his 52nd birthday noisily and festively. Colleagues spoke compliments, and the birthday boy announced that he would soon present a new amazing sauce.
Relatives rejoiced at the honor that was given to the head of the family. A telegram from the president of the country, congratulations from ministers and famous stars. Almost all of them called the culinary specialist the king of French cuisine. Bernard smiled his bewitching smile, and no one could imagine how tired he was.
The story of the legendary chef
Bernard was born on January 13, 1951 into a large family of a hat merchant in the south of France. The father, fanatically fond of football, waved his hand at his younger son. He didn’t understand how one could choose a kitchen over a football field.
According to many biographers, it was the conflict with the head of the family that pushed Bernard to quit school at the age of 14 and go to work. They say that before leaving home, he threw it to his father, as if he would prove more that a good cook is worth no less than some Pele.
Whether it is true or not, one thing is true: Bernard loved the comparison between cooking and football. In one of his books, he wrote: “I dreamed of becoming a great chef as much as budding footballers dream of becoming Ronaldo or Pele.”
Bernard worked as a worker in various restaurants for 3 years. Then he got a job as a dishwasher for the famous Michel Truagro. Bernard spent every evening after work in the kitchen, dreaming of learning the secrets of the art of cooking.
It is then Truagro will compare Bernard with a locomotive, persistently going to the goal. When he worked in his restaurant, he pronounced the guy a ruthless sentence: “If you ever become a cook, I will become an archbishop.”
Realizing that he was unlikely to be able to learn something from Troisgros, Bernard went to another master – Claude Verger. He not only believed in the culinary talent of the young cook, but after 5 years made him the chef of one of his best restaurants – La Côte d’Or.
Many years later, when asked what made him believe in Bernard’s talent, Verger replied: “I never believed in cooking dynasties. And Bernard came from a poor family, where there was no time for culinary delights. He eagerly absorbed any knowledge about the secrets of cooking. It was impossible not to believe in his bright future ”.
“La Côte d’Or”
The restaurant “La Côte d’Or” (“Gold Coast”) was located in a fertile place, the small town of Solieu, in the very center of Burgundy. It is here, and not in Paris, as is commonly believed, that the culinary heart of France is located.
Founded in the middle of the 19th century, this restaurant has seen better days. Especially when the famous Alexander Dyumen, a friend of Dali, Picasso and de Gaulle, was in charge of his kitchen. But by the early 1970s, the restaurant had lost its former clientele. Maitre Verger gave the young chef complete freedom of action.
Bernard Loiseau “put” on natural cuisine. For France at that time, this was a truly revolutionary and risky step. The French cuisine was ponderous. It was based on intricate sauces, which are not something to cook without training – not everyone was able to eat.
Bernard “went to war” on butter and mayonnaise. He believed that the task of the culinary specialist is to emphasize the taste that the product possesses, which is the basis of any dish.
His expression: “A real tomato should write with blood, not nitrate water” flew around the planet. Oddly enough, this restaurateur came at the right time. By promoting healthy eating, Western society tried to compensate for the lack of a coherent ideology.
High awards
To Truagro’s surprise, La Côte d’Or was ranked among the best gastronomic guides in 1977. He received his first star in the prestigious Michelin culinary guide and in 1981 a second.
Inspired by his success, Bernard decided to buy out La Côte d’Or and took out his first million dollar loan. He renovated and refurbished the restaurant. He turned it into one of the most prestigious places in Burgundy.
The restaurant’s regulars are movie and show business stars, famous politicians and even French President Mitterrand. He personally promoted Bernard to the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Now it was possible to get a table in this restaurant only by ordering it several months in advance. And in the event of a five-minute delay of the client, the order was ruthlessly canceled.
Bernard Loiseau started the tradition of going out to the hall every evening. He welcomed his clients, then listened to their opinions on dishes and new exclusive recipes. They say that he did not change this tradition until the last day of his life.
For 15 years, he has invested in his brainchild an amount equal to 10 million euros. He dreamed that La Côte d’Or was the most beautiful place in the world. It was visited not only by those who could shell out a fortune for dinner, but also by modest people. And he often made a beautiful gesture – he was the last to pay for the dinner.
On top of fame
In 1991, Loiseau was at the height of his fame. He received the third Michelin star and the nineteenth (out of 20 possible) “fork” in the new Gault Millau catalog.
But … his debts were growing like a snowball. At first glance, a prosperous culinary empire was bursting at all seams. Gourmet cuisine in itself is not very profitable. And Loiseau tried to manage his financial affairs on his own, although he was an unimportant businessman.
And only when it became impossible to continue the business without new loans, he invited a professional to do business.
Exploiting the fame of La Côte d’Or, he took out new loans guaranteed by famous friends. Loiseau opened French restaurants in wealthy Arab countries, the United States and Japan. He was the first culinary specialist to put the shares of his company on the stock exchange.
Later he created a chain of restaurants for the middle class in Paris (Aunt Louise, Aunt Margarita, Aunt Jeanne). But this did not save the day. And Loiseau decided to take a step that was completely humiliating for the master of haute cuisine. He began to produce fast food products under his own brand.
Semi-finished products with a radiant smile on their packages flooded the counters of supermarkets. This added popularity to the culinary master in France. But it was a double-edged sword. Such mass character could not but damage the reputation of the best chef in France.
Sad final
Bernard Loiseau’s enemies again started talking about the inconsistency of his culinary principles with the national tradition. La Côte d’Or’s rating on the Gault Millau scale dropped by two forks. Rumors spread throughout Paris that Michelin was also going to lower the price of La Côte d’Or.
There were many versions of what happened. According to one of them, the restaurateur committed suicide because of the downgrade of the rating of La Côte d’Or. Others said he was “killed” by food critics who were too hard on him. Still others hinted at some kind of incurable disease.
There was talk about the murder of the master by some “culinary” mafia. The Lyon restaurateur Paul Bocuse said in an interview with the LSI TV channel: “Loiseau was killed by culinary impotent people from Gault Millau.
Having conquered all imaginable culinary heights, Loiseau suddenly realized clearly that he was no king. He’s just a chef, belatedly remembered, hiccupping sweetly after dinner.
The master’s body was discovered on the morning of Tuesday February 24, 2003. On Monday morning, he received a report from the sales manager. From the report it followed that the debt of the Loiseau empire reached 4,5 million euros. The share price in the first three weeks of February fell by two points.
During the day, Bernard Loiseau went about his usual business. When the last customer left the restaurant, in the kitchen he discussed with a colleague the specifics of the new sauce. He returned home, washed his hands thoroughly and entered the study. He removed an old hunting rifle from the wall and shot himself, leaving no suicide note.
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