Albert Roux
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Albert Henri Roux (8 October 1935 – 4 January 2021) was a French restaurateur and chef. He and his brother Michel operated Le Gavroche in London's
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
, the first restaurant in the UK to gain three
Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...
s. He helped train a series of chefs that went on to win Michelin stars, and his son, Michel Roux, Jr., continued to run Le Gavroche until January 2024.


Early life

Albert Roux was born in the village of Semur-en-Brionnais in
Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is B ...
, France on 8 October 1935. He was the son of a '' charcutier''. His brother,
Michel Roux Michel Roux, OBE (; 19 April 1941 – 11 March 2020), also known as Michel Roux Snr., was a French chef and restaurateur working in Britain. Along with his brother Albert Roux, Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, which subsequently became the first ...
, was born in 1941. Upon leaving school, he initially intended to train as a priest at the age of 14. However, he decided that the role was not suited to him, sought other employment, and instead trained as a chef. His godfather worked as a chef for
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...
, and arranged for Roux, at the age of 18, to be employed working for
Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor w ...
.


Career

In one notable incident whilst employed by the Viscountess, Roux managed to jam oeufs en cocotte in a
dumbwaiter A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restauran ...
which were due to go to
Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...
, then
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
. Otherwise, his apprenticeship at Cliveden went without problems. He moved on to work at the British Embassy in Paris and became a private chef for Sir
Charles Clore Sir Charles Clore (26 December 1904 – 26 July 1979) was a British financier, retail and property magnate, and philanthropist. Biography Clore was of Lithuanian Jewish background, the son of Israel Clore, a Whitechapel tailor who had emigrated ...
. He was then called up by the
French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...
to serve his
military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...
in Algeria, where he cooked on occasion for the officer's
mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...
. Once he left the military, he worked as a
sous chef A sous-chef is a chef who is second in command of a kitchen, ranking directly below the head chef in the Kitchen Brigade system developed by Auguste Escoffier. In large kitchens, sous-chefs are typically left in charge of managing members o ...
at the British Embassy in Paris, before returning to the UK to become private chef to Major Peter Cazalet where he worked for eight years. In 1967, Roux and his younger brother Michel opened Le Gavroche, on Lower Sloane Street in London. It became the first restaurant in Britain to win a
Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...
, the first to win two, and, in 1982, the first to win three. The restaurant became a favourite of
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...
. In 1984, he and Michel set up the Roux Scholarship to enable up and coming chefs to get a start in the industry. During his time in the kitchen, he trained several chefs who went on to gain Michelin stars of their own, including
Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, List of restaurants owned or operated by Gordon Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has ...
,
Marco Pierre White Marco Pierre White (born 11 December 1961) is an English chef, restaurateur and television personality. In 1995 he became the youngest chef to earn three Michelin stars. He has trained chefs including Mario Batali, Shannon Bennett, Gordon Ramsa ...
, Pierre Koffmann, Riccardo De Pra, and Sat Bains. Roux spoke highly of Gordon Ramsay: "I recognised straightaway that Gordon would go a long way." Of all his protégés, Roux no longer got on with White, and said in an interview in 2010, "We don't talk. No, he is a truly talented man – and a man who used to call me his godfather – but he has got a chip on his shoulder". White mentions the rift in his autobiography, but says, "Albert employing me was without doubt one of the defining moments of my life. I won't hear a word said against he Roux brothers" Roux continued to run a series of restaurants around the world, through his company, founded by his wife Cheryl, Chez Roux Limited, including one at the Greywalls Hotel in Muirfield, Gullane, and Roux at the Landau, situated in the Langham Hotel, as well as Roux at Parliament Square and multiple Chez Roux restaurants. He collaborated with his son, Michel Roux Jr., to open co-branded restaurants at Inverlochy Castle and Crossbasket Castle in Blantyre in Scotland. He no longer chased Michelin stars for his restaurants, but instead sought to "...recreate the kind of restaurant I remember from my home town, offering good and honest country cooking. The kind of place you can go to eat without ringing the bank for permission." In 2006, Albert and Michel Roux were jointly given the Lifetime Achievement Award by S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants.


Personal life

Roux had a love of fishing, and had travelled around the world to pursue his hobby, but was particularly fond of Scotland. In 1959, aged 17, Roux married Monique, his childhood sweetheart, and they had two children, Michel Roux Jr and Danielle. The marriage was dissolved in 2001. In 2016, Roux was divorced by his second wife, Cheryl Smith. He married his third wife, Maria Rodrigues, in January 2018, three years after meeting her. Rodrigues is a partner in a professional services firm. His son Michel Roux, Jr. ran Le Gavroche, which had two Michelin stars, until January 2024. Roux died in London on 4 January 2021, following a long illness. Roux was awarded an OBE in 2002 and was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 2005.


References


External links


Official website of Albert RouxOfficial website of the Roux Scholarship
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roux, Albert 1935 births 2021 deaths French chefs French male chefs French emigrants to England French military personnel of the Algerian War French restaurateurs Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants Honorary officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Charolles People from Saône-et-Loire Roux family