Marc Meneau facts for kids
| Born | 16 March 1943 Avallon, Yonne, France |
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| Died | 9 December 2020 (aged 77) Auxerre, France |
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Marc Meneau (born March 16, 1943 – died December 9, 2020) was a very famous French chef. He was known for his amazing cooking skills. He even earned three stars from the important Michelin Guide. His main restaurant was called L'Espérance. It was located in a town called Saint-Père, Yonne, in France.
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Early Life and Learning
Marc Meneau was born in Avallon, France, on March 16, 1943. He grew up in the Burgundy region of France. He loved his home region and stayed there for most of his life.
In 1961, he went to a hotel school in Strasbourg. But he soon returned home to help his mother, Marguerite. She owned a grocery store in Saint-Père, near Vézelay.
With help from his wife, Françoise, Marc turned the grocery store into a restaurant. He taught himself how to cook. He loved to read old cookbooks to find new ideas. This helped him become a famous chef known for his unique recipes.
Marc Meneau's Cooking Career
Marc Meneau's restaurant quickly became popular. In 1972, he received his first Michelin star. This is a very special award for restaurants. After this, he moved his restaurant to a bigger place. He named it L'Espérance, which means "Hope."
In 1975, he earned his second Michelin star. This showed that his cooking was getting even better. By 1983, he was named the best French chef of the year. He also received his third Michelin star! Plus, the Gault Millau guide gave him a very high score of 19 out of 20.
Marc Meneau also planted 16 hectares of grapevines. He wanted to help bring back the famous Bourgogne-Vézelay wine. However, he lost his third Michelin star in 1999.
In 2003, he opened a smaller, more casual restaurant called EntreVignes. It was right across from L'Espérance. A famous singer, Serge Gainsbourg, gave him this idea. Then, in 2004, Marc Meneau got his third Michelin star back!
Later, in 2007, his business faced some money problems. Because of this, the Michelin Guide thought his restaurant might close. So, they removed it from their guide that year. But L'Espérance stayed open! It later appeared in the Michelin Guide again with two stars. In 2010, Marc Meneau started his own special kitchen garden. He grew fresh ingredients for his restaurant in its park.
Later Life and Passing
Marc Meneau passed away on December 9, 2020. He died from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in France.
Awards and Recognitions
Marc Meneau received many important awards for his cooking and contributions:
- 1983: Named "Best Chef of the Year" by the Gault-Millau guide.
- 1985: Named "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" (Knight of Arts and Letters).
- 1987: Named "Chevalier" (Knight) of the National Order of Merit.
- 1988: Named "Best Chef of the Year" by Le Chef magazine.
- 1993: Named "Officer" of the National Order of Merit.
- 1998: Named "Chevalier" (Knight) of the Legion of Honour.
- 2012: Elected "Talent d'Or" at the Talents du Luxe et de la Création.
Chefs Who Learned from Marc Meneau
Many chefs learned their skills by working with Marc Meneau. Some of them became famous themselves:
- Ludo Lefebvre
- Kilien Stengel
Marc Meneau in Movies
Marc Meneau also helped with food in some movies:
- 2000: Vatel by Roland Joffé. He helped create the huge feasts for the film.
- 2006: Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola. He helped with the beautiful buffet scenes.
See also
In Spanish: Marc Meneau para niños
- List of Michelin starred restaurants
