Albert Roux, major influence on U.K. dining habits, dies at 85
LONDON » Albert Roux, the French-born chef and restaurateur who along with his late brother Michel had a profound influence on British dining habits, has died at 85.
Roux died Monday after being unwell for a while, his family said in a statement Wednesday. The family did not reveal the location or cause of death.
In 1982, the brothers’ restaurant in London, Le Gavroche, became the first British restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, testament to its pioneering role in turning the capital’s culinary scene from one devoid of innovation into one of the world’s most intriguing gastronomic melting pots.
From Le Gavroche’s launch, a loyal clientele that included many of the icons of the swinging ‘ 60s frequented the restaurant. The brothers took turns in the kitchen and dining room, seeking “to achieve a global reputation for service and the quality of their cuisine.”
Over the years, wellknown chefs such as Monica Galetti, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing and Marco Pierre White earned their stripes at the restaurant that continues to serve classic French haute cuisine in the well-heeled Mayfair neighborhood.
Although it lost one star in 1993, Le Gavroche, which is now run by Albert’s son, Michel Jr., is still considered one of London’s most coveted places to dine, and its reopening after the coronavirus pandemic is awaited by many.
“He was a mentor for so many people in the hospitality industry, and a real inspiration to budding chefs, including me,” said Michel Roux Jr.
Albert Roux was born in 1935 in the village of Semuren-Brionnais in the central French region of Burgundy. After World War II, the family moved to Paris to run a new charcuterie and it was in the French capital where both brothers really forged their passion for cooking.