Gaston Lenôtre
Encyclopedia
Gaston Lenôtre was a French pastry chef and caterer.
, France. His mother, Éléonore, was one of the first women chefs in Paris during the 1900s, and was the chef of the Rothschild
family. His brother Gaston was also a talented chef who worked for the Grand Hôtel in Paris.
As a patriarch, he liked to work with his family members, twelve of them at one time; including the third generation of Lenôtre chefs, amongst which was his son Alain
, the founder of the Culinary Institute located in Houston, USA.
and Michel Richard
. He was one of the main inspirations for the character Gusteau in the 2007 Pixar film Ratatouille
.
Lenôtre wrote nine recipe books with his daughter Sylvie that have been translated into English, German, and Japanese and have sold close to a million copies. He also was the official caterer of the World Soccer Cup in France in 1998 and of the French Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. He catered for presidents, kings, and celebrities all over the world.
after a long illness on 8 January 2009, aged 88.
Biography
Lenôtre was born in NormandyNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France. His mother, Éléonore, was one of the first women chefs in Paris during the 1900s, and was the chef of the Rothschild
Rothschild
Rothschild is a common German surname. It is a habitational name from a house distinguished with a red shield , the earliest recorded example dating from the 13th century...
family. His brother Gaston was also a talented chef who worked for the Grand Hôtel in Paris.
As a patriarch, he liked to work with his family members, twelve of them at one time; including the third generation of Lenôtre chefs, amongst which was his son Alain
Alain LeNôtre
Alain LeNôtre , son of Gaston Lenôtre, is a certified pastry chef, candy maker and ice cream maker; he was also trained as a cook at Le Grand Véfour, a restaurant in Paris. LeNôtre earned a MBA from the University of Paris I....
, the founder of the Culinary Institute located in Houston, USA.
Achievements
Lenôtre made bold moves during his lifetime. Among his list of firsts: the first chain of upscale bakeries in Paris, a bakery-café bistro in the first French shopping mall, the first central kitchen in the country outside of Paris, the first professional French re-training chef school, the first line of frozen desserts distributed all over France, and the first International bakery franchises (now in a dozen countries including Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and Kuwait). Among the prominent chefs he trained are David BouleyDavid Bouley
David Bouley is an American chef and restaurateur with restaurants in TriBeCa, New York City. He is best known for his flagship restaurant, Bouley....
and Michel Richard
Michel Richard
Michel Richard is a French-born chef, and is formerly the owner of the restaurant Citrus in Los Angeles. He currently owns the award-winning restaurant, Citronelle in Georgetown and Carmel, and Central in Las Vegas, NV and Washington, D.C.-Biography:...
. He was one of the main inspirations for the character Gusteau in the 2007 Pixar film Ratatouille
Ratatouille (film)
Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the eighth film produced by Pixar, and was directed by Brad Bird, who took over from Jan Pinkava in 2005...
.
Lenôtre wrote nine recipe books with his daughter Sylvie that have been translated into English, German, and Japanese and have sold close to a million copies. He also was the official caterer of the World Soccer Cup in France in 1998 and of the French Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. He catered for presidents, kings, and celebrities all over the world.
Death
He died at his home in the central French region of SologneSologne
Sologne , a region of north-central France extending over portions of the départements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Cher...
after a long illness on 8 January 2009, aged 88.
External links
- Culinary Institute – LeNotre cooking school in Houston, USA
- Obituary – from The Economist