Georges Blanc (; born 2 January 1943 in

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient Provinces of France, province of Bresse (). I ...

in the department of Ain) is a French

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

, with two Michelin stars and four toques from the guide Gault et Millau.

Private life

Georges Blanc is the son of Jean and Paulette Blanc. He has an older sister who was born in 1933. His grandmother Élisa, known as Mere Blanc (Mother Blanc), died at her home in Vonnas at the age of 66. Georges Blanc's two sons Frédéric and Alexandre Blanc participate in the family business.

Career

In 1962, he graduated at the École Hôtelière of

Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains (; ), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains is part of a ...

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

. Before becoming interested in working as a chef he worked as a

flight attendant A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

for

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

, traveling all over the world during one summer. In 1965, after working in a number of renowned places, he did 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 ...

as a chef to Amiral Vedel on the Foch and Clémenceau

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

s. He joined the family business (started in 1872) working with his mother Paulette and then succeeded her in 1968 at the age of twenty five. He transformed the hotel into a luxury hotel with the subsequent development of adjacent properties into a gourmet village. In 1970, he came third in the best

sommelier A ''sommelier'' ( , , ), ''chef de vin'' or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the ''s ...

s of France contest and was a finalist in the

Meilleur Ouvrier de France ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' (MOF) is a competition for craftsmen held in France every four years. The winning candidates receive a medal. Description The title of ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' is a unique and prestigious award in France, a ...

contest in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1976. In 1981, he received his third

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 ...

and the title of Chef of the Year in the Gault et Millau guide. In 1985, he received the rare mark of 19.5/20 from the same guide, a mark that had never before been attained. In 1990, Georges Blanc bought the Charvet-Guyennet family’s café-gastronomy-bakery to create the ''Ancienne Auberge.'' He also opened 17 houses around his restaurant at the center of Vonnas to create his "village gourmand" (hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.) These are all kept in the original design with a historic theme to the Village Blanc. There is emphasis on the village being sustainable and a healthy environment. There are 12 acres around the original restaurant, about thirty houses have been renovated. It also includes hotels and spas within the village. In 2025, the Georges Blanc restaurant lost a Michelin star, leaving it with two.

Television

With Cyril Lignac, he is a member of the jury for the television program ''Un dîner vraiment parfait'', a spin-off of ''Un dîner presque parfait'' (French version of ''

Come Dine with Me ''Come Dine with Me'' is a British reality series that has aired on Channel 4 since 10 January 2005 and is narrated by Dave Lamb. Format The original format features five amateur chefs who live in the same town or area, who each host a three-c ...

'') on M6.

Honours

*Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(11 July 2008) *Officer of the National Order of Merit (2 August 1993) *Commander du Ordre du Mérite Agricole (1993) *Knight (Chevalier) of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

(2002) *Commander of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

(2004)

References

External links

Official website
1943 births French chefs French male chefs French restaurateurs Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants People from Bourg-en-Bresse Living people {{France-business-bio-stub