Michel Guérard facts for kids

Michel Guérard (born March 27, 1933 – died August 19, 2024) was a famous French chef and writer. He was one of the people who started nouvelle cuisine, a new style of cooking. He also created cuisine minceur, which is a healthy way of cooking.

Michel Guérard's Early Life

Michel Guérard was born in 1933 in a town near Paris called Vétheuil. When he was six, World War II started. He grew up near Rouen with his grandmother and then his mother. His mother ran the family butcher shop while his father was away fighting.

He had a typical French country childhood. He would catch trout in streams with his bare hands. But he also faced difficult times, like being questioned by Nazis. After the war ended in 1944, he had a wonderful meal at a friend's house. This meal inspired him to become a cook instead of studying science. He also learned a lot about cooking from his mother and grandmother.

Michel Guérard's Cooking Career

Michel Guérard said that watching his grandmother bake inspired him. At age 14, he became an apprentice at a pastry shop. He then learned "palace cuisine" at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. By age 25, he became the head pastry chef there.

He also cooked at famous places like Le Lido and Maxim's. In 1958, he won a special award called Meilleur Ouvrier de France Patisserie. He won this while working as a pastry chef at the Hôtel de Crillon.

Starting Nouvelle Cuisine

In the late 1960s, Michel Guérard worked at a small restaurant in Paris. Many people say he almost single-handedly started nouvelle cuisine there. In the 1960s, he was a pioneer of this new cooking style. Other famous chefs like Paul Bocuse also helped.

They wanted to change French cooking. They moved away from old, heavy French dishes. Instead, they focused on lighter, fresher food. They wanted food to taste more like its natural ingredients.

In 1965, he opened his first restaurant, Le Pot au Feu, near Paris. It quickly became very successful. In 1967, it earned its first star in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant received a second star in 1971. It was popular until the land was needed for a road.

Spa Resort and Healthy Cooking

In 1972, Guérard met Christine Barthelemy. Her family owned spas and hotels. They got married, and in 1974, they moved to Eugénie-les-Bains. Christine was running one of her family's smaller spas there.

They worked together to fix up the buildings. Guérard then created a new style of food called cuisine minceur. This was a healthy way of cooking. It was made for people who wanted to eat well but also stay healthy.

Guérard said he created this "great slimming cuisine" in 1974. This area had hot springs used by people with health issues. He wanted to make diet food more appealing. He aimed for dishes that were low in extra fat, sugar, and salt. He understood how much people on diets missed good food.

SF Moma, a museum, says Michel Guérard was a leader in nouvelle cuisine. He helped change French cooking to be lighter and more delicate. This was a big change from traditional heavy sauces.

On February 9, 1976, he was on the cover of TIME magazine. The cover showed a cartoon of Guérard and said, "The new gourmet law: hold the butter." His main restaurant, Les Prés d’Eugénie, earned three Michelin stars. It received these stars in 1974, 1975, and 1977. From around 1980, his restaurant kept its three Michelin stars for 40 years in a row.

His book Eat Well And Stay Slim shared his cuisine minceur recipes. In 1983, Christine and Michel bought a vineyard called Château de Bachen. They started making their own wine there in 1988.

By 2008, Guérard ran a luxury hotel, a gourmet bistro, and his three-star restaurant. He also had boutique lodgings and a spa. He opened a cooking school for people who love to cook. In 2013, they opened a training center for professional chefs. By 2016, Guérard and his family ran 21 spas and employed about 2000 people.

Michel Guérard's Personal Life

Michel Guérard and his wife Christine had two daughters. They lived at Château de Bachen. Their home had a large collection of French paintings. It also had a mile of grapevines.

Michel Guérard passed away on August 19, 2024. He was 91 years old.

Michel Guérard's Restaurants

Christine and Michel Guérard own three restaurants in Eugénie-les-Bains:

• Les Prés d'Eugénie: This restaurant is part of the main spa hotel. It serves cuisine gourmande, which means delicious food. It has had three stars in the Michelin Guide since 1977.

Honours and Awards

Michel Guérard received many important awards:

• Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
• Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
• Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite
• Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite agricole
• Prix Eckart-Witzigmann
• Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes académiques