The one lesson I’ve learned from life
Michel Roux Junior
THE two Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr, 57, is the Chef Patron of Le Gavroche in London. He was a judge on the BBC show MasterChef: The Professionals, presented Michel Roux’s Service. He lives in London with his wife, Giselle; they have a daughter, Emily, 26.
DON’T TREAD ON YOUR KIDS’ DREAMS
WHEN my daughter Emily decided she wanted to be a chef, I admit I was thoughtful. She is very precious to us. She was an IVF child; we had many attempts to get this young lady. I’ve always been open about it. And these days IVF is a mainstream topic.
She’s always appreciated food. From an early age she had a penchant for sea urchins and snails and she started out doing work experience in the Gavroche kitchen aged 13. I remember a holiday in the Basque Country where, at four, Emily had a starter of squid, before we put her under the table for a nap.
The waiting staff brought over a supply of cushions. When we left at 1am, we retrieved her and the other diners looked amazed.
But when Emily said she wanted to follow a similar path to me and leave school to study cooking, my wife Giselle tried to dissuade her and said: ‘Look how many hours Dad works and how tired he is.’ She wanted her to go to university. She was worried she would never have time for a personal life as a chef.
But Emily was adamant. When I went to visit her in Paris, she was doing more hours than me! She’d lost weight and had the pale, pasty look chefs have — bags under her eyes, burns all up her arms. She was falling asleep at the table and I thought, ‘My God, my pretty little daughter, what have I done?’
But I could also see the passion in her eyes and her love of food. It’s hard to explain, but when you truly enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter. You don’t see it as a job — it’s an act of love. Chefs are like athletes. It’s that incessant quest for perfection.
My daughter got married this year — and who knows, maybe I will be a grandparent soon.
LES Abats: Recipes Celebrating The Whole Beast by Michel Roux Jr is published by Seven Dials.