Given that Michel Roux has just opened a new restaurant, Chez Roux, at The Langham hotel in London, handing out a lifetime achievement award might seem a bit premature. There is undoubtedly more to come from Roux, who also oversees the food at a number of hotel restaurants in Scotland as well as at high-profile events under his family name. Yet a significant chapter in Roux’s life closed earlier this year, one that represents not just almost a lifetime’s work for him but for his visionary culinary family - the closing of Le Gavroche.
It is hard to overstate the impact that Le Gavroche has had on the UK’s restaurant scene since it was opened in 1967 by Roux’s father Albert and the late Michel Roux, his uncle. Back then, London’s dining scene barely registered on a global scale but with the brothers’ vision and adherence to classic French cuisine they started a cooking revolution that would simultaneously help launch the careers of chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing, Pierre Koffman, and Monica Galetti.
Following in one’s father’s footsteps can be daunting, but Roux successfully continued the great legacy of the restaurant for a further 33 years, having taken over the stoves in 1991. Under his stewardship Le Gavroche has remained a bastion of classic French cooking and has flown the flag for old school fine dining where attention to detail is everything. During that time trends came and went, restaurants opened and closed, but Le Gavroche remained a comforting constant.
During his time at Le Gavroche Roux also spread his wings, with the opening of restaurants including Roux at Parliament Square and Roux at the Landau. His portfolio of venues currently includes high-end pub The Wigmore at The Langham and restaurants in Scotland at Inverlochy Castle and Crossbasket Castle. Moreover, he plans to keep the Le Gavroche name alive with projects such as Le Gavroche at The Lawn at Wimbledon and Le Gavroche at Sea, in partnership with cruise line Cunard.
So while it’s goodbye to Le Gavroche Mayfair, there’s more to come from Roux and the restaurant that bears his family name.
It is hard to overstate the impact that Le Gavroche has had on the UK’s restaurant scene since it was opened in 1967 by Roux’s father Albert and the late Michel Roux, his uncle. Back then, London’s dining scene barely registered on a global scale but with the brothers’ vision and adherence to classic French cuisine they started a cooking revolution that would simultaneously help launch the careers of chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing, Pierre Koffman, and Monica Galetti.
Following in one’s father’s footsteps can be daunting, but Roux successfully continued the great legacy of the restaurant for a further 33 years, having taken over the stoves in 1991. Under his stewardship Le Gavroche has remained a bastion of classic French cooking and has flown the flag for old school fine dining where attention to detail is everything. During that time trends came and went, restaurants opened and closed, but Le Gavroche remained a comforting constant.
During his time at Le Gavroche Roux also spread his wings, with the opening of restaurants including Roux at Parliament Square and Roux at the Landau. His portfolio of venues currently includes high-end pub The Wigmore at The Langham and restaurants in Scotland at Inverlochy Castle and Crossbasket Castle. Moreover, he plans to keep the Le Gavroche name alive with projects such as Le Gavroche at The Lawn at Wimbledon and Le Gavroche at Sea, in partnership with cruise line Cunard.
So while it’s goodbye to Le Gavroche Mayfair, there’s more to come from Roux and the restaurant that bears his family name.
