Michelle Roux passes away aged 78
12 March 2020
We were all sad to hear the news that Michelle Roux Snr had passed away today after a long illness. Together with his older brother Albert, the Roux brothers became the godfathers of modern cuisine in the UK taking British food from the dark days of the 60’s and 70’s to the fine dining heights we see today.
There story began in the 1967 when the brothers opened Le Gavroche Restaurant on Lower Sloan Street in London’s West End.
The restaurant opened to high acclaim and a 2nd restaurant, The Waterside in Bray followed in 1974.
Both restaurants were awarded coveted Michelin stars with both gaining 3 stars confirming there reputation as the best in the world.
With Michelle Snr at the helm, The Waterside became the only restaurant outside France to have held 3 Michelin stars consistently over 25 years.
Among his other achievements, Michelle Roux Snr also set up The Roux Scholarship in 1984, and winners over the years have included many of today’s top chefs who themselves have been awarded Michelin stars.
Appearances on t.v followed along with a series of books which went on to become best sellers inspiring many amateur cooks to improve their skills and build confidence.
The loss of Michelle will be felt by countless chefs across the country today but his legacy is sure to continue thanks to the scholarship.
Michelle trained as a pastry chef and he always said this was his greatest passion. As a tribute, we will feature Michelle’s shortbread recipe on here. For me this tried and tested recipe sums up the great man and never fails to impress.
