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Wed 26 Feb, 2003 12:43 pm
Sad to hear that Bernard L'Oiseau, chef-owner of La Cote D'or in Burgundy blew his head off over what turned out to be the anticipation of losing a Michelin star....reminds me of the story of Vatel, a French chef from a previous era, who threw himself upon his sword when his fish did not arrive on time for the King's banquet. Turns out, it was just held up in traffic, heh.
Bernie was a strange, obsessed dude, driven only by his commitment to getting his 2 star restaurant upgraded to three stars, which he did. The story is beautifully documented in the book "Burgundy Stars" which we read in Chefs School, as part of our Gastronomy course.
Bernie apparently used to tell friends that he would indeed kill himself if he lost one of his coveted stars. Just a reminder to anyone who seeks perfection in their craft that the challenge and pursuit of that goal means nothing if you are dead. Silly silly Bernie...
Get the book if you can, it is a good and intriguing read.
P.S. Author: William Echikson
Thanks for that story, cavfancier!
(Just for the records: actually, Loiseau did lose two points, going from 19 to 17, in the 20-point rating system of the Gault-Millau.
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4597 )
I figured it was Gault-Millau who downgraded him, because so far, from what I heard, it was not Michelin. Thanks for the info!
I was reading about this yesterday. My understanding is that after losing the points from Gault-Millau, the suicide happened in fear of the anticipated loss of Michelin stars, which ended up not happening
It just doesn't make any sense at all!
See, my attitude would have been that Gault-Millau is really a secondary guide after Michelin and wait to see what Michelin had to say...maybe I am more balanced....still, I wonder how many people in general would off themselves over their JOB? No job is worth your life, I don't care who you are.
I am not my job.
That's how my abuzz profile starts, and how i live.
That being said, I know people who don't know who they are without their job, and accompanying status, to define them. There's a reason for the spike in death rates immediately following retirement.
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