Jacky Robert (born 13 September 1950) is an American chef who helped to create fusion cuisine in the 1980s. He is the cofounder, with Martha Castano, of the non-profit OnBoardForKids.Org

Early years

Born in

Granville, Manche Granville (; Norman: ''Graunville'') is a commune in the Manche department and region of Normandy, northwestern France. The chef-lieu of the canton of Granville and seat of the '' Communes of Granville, Terre et Mer'', it is a seaside resort an ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Robert began to cook at age 15. After apprenticing at Les Gourmets in Granville, he moved to

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 ...

, where he then worked at Prunier Traktir and at three star

Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...

rated

Maxim's Paris Maxim's () is a restaurant in Paris, France, located at No. 3 Rue Royale in the 8th arrondissement. It is known for its Art Nouveau interior decor. In the mid 20th century, Maxim's was regarded as the most famous restaurant in the world. His ...

rue Royale Rue Royale (French for "Royal Street") may refer to several streets: * Rue Royale, Brussels, Belgium * Rue Royale, Lyon, France *Rue Royale, Paris The Rue Royale () is a short street in Paris, France, running between the Place de la Concorde a ...

, working with

Wolfgang Puck Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born July 8, 1949) is an Austrian chef and restaurateur. Early life Puck was born in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria. He learned cooking from his mother, who was a pastry chef. He took the surname of his stepfather, Jos ...

. Robert staged at

Moulin de Mougins The Moulin de Mougins is a celebrated restaurant in France, situated in a 16th-century mill (''moulin'') in the inland French Riviera town of Mougins. Founding chef Roger Vergé made the restaurant's name renowned with his novel and light ''Cuis ...

, Roger Vergé's three star

restaurant and at the

Hotel Negresco The Hotel Negresco is a luxury hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel construct ...

in Nice, France with Jacques Maximin. Robert worked at Olympia Turm in

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Chez Valentino in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

, and Auberge de Riquewhir, Paris. Robert then worked at The Dome of the Four Seasons,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, and Le Cordon Bleu in

Dania, Florida Dania Beach (Dania until 1998) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 31,723. Dania Beach is the location of one of the largest jai ala ...

, Chillingsworth in

Brewster, Massachusetts Brewster is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population of Brewster was 10,318 at the 2020 census. Initially settled in 1659, the Town of Brewster ...

, and in 1976, helped open Maison Robert, with restaurant owner and uncle, Lucien Robert, in Boston's

Old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to: Asia In Hong Kong * Old City Hall (Hong Kong) Europe In Croatia * Old City Hall (Zagreb) In Denmark * Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen * Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen * Old City Hall (Aalborg ...

Career

After moving to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California, Robert worked as executive chef of Ernie's until 1985. He was inducted into the ''Maîtres Cuisiniers de France'' (Master Chefs of French) thanks to mentor Rene Verdon,

White House executive chef The White House executive chef is the individual responsible for managing the kitchens, and for planning and preparing of all menus and meals for the president of the United States and the first family, which includes their private meals, their ...

during the presidency of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. In 1985, he became chef-owner of Amelio's and became the recipient of the 1989 ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine, wine culture and wine ratings. It is the flagship publication of M. Shanken Communications, which also publishes ''Cigar Aficionado'', ''Whisky Advocate'', ''Market Watch' ...

'' Grand Award. During his time in San Francisco, Robert was the president of the ''Club Culinaire Français de Californie'' (French Culinary Club of California). Alongside

Alice Waters Alice Louise Waters (born April 28, 1944) is an American chef, restaurateur, food writer, and author. In 1971, she opened Chez Panisse, a restaurant in Berkeley, California, famous for its role in creating the farm-to-table movement and for ...

Jeremiah Tower Jeremiah Tower (born 1942) is an American celebrity chef who, along with Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck, has been credited with pioneering the culinary style known as California cuisine. A food lover from childhood, he had no formal culinary ed ...

and Mark Miller, Robert was featured in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series " The Great Chefs of San Francisco." Robert appeared in additional PBS broadcasts with Emmy award-winning chef

Martin Yan Martin Yan (; born 22 December 1948) is a Chinese-American chef and food writer. He has hosted his award-winning PBS-TV cooking show '' Yan Can Cook'' since 1982. Early years and education With ancestral roots in Hoiping, Yan was born in ...

. In 1996, Robert returned to Maison Robert, in Boston, this time as executive-chef. In 2001, he accepted the position of executive-chef at

Lydia Shire Lydia Shire (born 1948) is an American Boston-based chef and restaurateur. Early life and education Born in Connecticut and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, both of her parents were illustrators. Shire began cooking as early as age four alo ...

's Locke-Ober Restaurant in Boston. In 2003, Robert moved to

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

as culinary director at the Chatham Bars Inn. Since 2004, Robert has been chef/co-owner of Petit Robert Bistro, which has five locations in the greater Boston area. He is responsible for their "culinary vision" and day-to-day operation. He runs

Ma Maison Ma Maison was a restaurant opened by Patrick Terrail in October 1973 at 8368 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California. It closed in November 1985. It is credited with launching Wolfgang Puck's career and for starting the trend in cuisine known as ...

Beacon Hill, Boston Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is also the location of the Massachusetts State House. The term "Beacon Hill" is used locally as a metonym to refer to the state government or the legislature i ...

Awards

* 2007 North American recipient of the ''Maîtres Cuisiniers de France'' (Master Chefs of France) ''Toque D'Argent'' (Silver Chef's Hat), awarded by the Maitres-Cuisiniers de France

References

* New York Time

* ''Maitres Cuisiniers de France

Early years

Career

Awards

References

See also