Claude Lebey (20 November 1923 – 10 January 2017) was a French
food critic
A food critic, food writer, or restaurant critic is a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the public.
Terminology
"Food writer" is often used as a broad term that encompasses someone who w ...
and the author of ''Guide Lebey''.
Early life
Claude Lebey was born on 20 November 1923.
Career
Lebey began his career in the textile industry,
where he became a chief executive.
He later became a culinary critic for ''
L'Express
(, stylized in all caps) is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre-right in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''RĂ ...
'', followed by
Gault Millau
Gault et Millau () is a French restaurant guide. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965.
Points system
Gault Millau rates restaurants on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given ...
.
He was also the editor of cookbooks.
For example, he edited
Michel Guérard
Michel Robert-Guérard (; 27 March 1933 – 19 August 2024), known as Michel Guérard, was a French chef, author, one of the founders of '' nouvelle cuisine'' and the inventor of '' cuisine minceur''.
Early life and education
Michel Guérard w ...
's cookbook.
In 1987, he began publishing the annual ''Guide Lebey des Restaurants de Paris'' and the ''Lebey des Bistrots de Paris et sa banlieue''.
He sold the Lebey brand to GĂ©rald de Roquemaurel et Pierre-Yves Chupin in 2011.
A year later, he published his memoir.
Lebey was the founder of the ''
Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat
The Club de Croqueurs de Chocolat (literally: "Chocolate Crunchers' Club") is an association of chocolate specialists. Founded in 1981, it publishes a gastronomic guide dedicated to chocolate every year, and awards prizes at the Salon du Chocolat ...
'', a non-profit organization for "chocolate biters", in 1981.
With
Jacques Pessis, he was the co-founder of the ''Association de sauvegarde de l'oeuf mayonnaise'' (ASOM), a non-profit organization for the defense of
egg mayonnaise
Egg salad is a dish consisting of chopped hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, mustard, and mayonnaise, and vegetables often including other ingredients such as celery.
It is made mixed with seasonings in the form of herbs, spices and other ingredie ...
, in 1990.
He was also the founder of ''Les Amis des bistrots parisiens'' and ''Le Club des amateurs de cigares de Havane''.
Lebey ate in restaurants 300 times a year.
Death
Lebey died on 10 January 2017 in
Provence
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
, at the age of 93.
Upon his death, chef
Yannick Alléno called him "a visionary".
Selected works
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebey, Claude
1923 births
2017 deaths
French publishers (people)
French food writers
French memoirists