Michel Louis-Marie Richard ( , ; March 7, 1948 – August 13, 2016) was a French-born chef, formerly the owner of the restaurant Citrus in Los Angeles and Citronelle and Central in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He owned restaurants in Santa Barbara,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, and

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Biography

Richard was born in Pabu,

Brittany, France The region Brittany ( ; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is an Regions of France, administrative region of Metropolitan France, comprising the departments of Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Morbihan. Its capital and l ...

on March 7, 1948, and raised in

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. Needing to help his mother care for his siblings, he learned to cook. By age 14, Richard was working full-time as an apprentice

pâtissier A pastry chef or pâtissier (; feminine pâtissière, ) is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bistros, restaurants, bakeries, b ...

at a hotel restaurant in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. After completing his military service as a cook in the French Army, 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 was hired by French pastry chef

Gaston Lenôtre Gaston Lenôtre (, 28 May 1920 – 8 January 2009) was a French pastry chef. He is known as a possible creator of the opera cake (''gâteau opéra''), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering services, ...

at Maison Lenotre. In 1974, Lenôtre sent Richard to the United States to open Lenôtre's short-lived New York branch, Chateau France. After 3 years, Chateau France closed, and Richard moved to

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, becoming pastry chef for the French Pastry Shop at La Fonda Hotel. In 1977, he was able to open the eponymous Michel Richard's Pastry Shop in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. By 1986, Richard was L.A.'s most famous French pastry chef when he opened his first restaurant, Citrus in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

. The success of Citrus led to opportunities to open more restaurants, including, in 1989, Citronelle in the Santa Barbara Inn Hotel, followed by satellites of Citrus in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

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 ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and

, all of which eventually closed. In 1991, Richard was inducted into the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is an American non-profit culinary arts organization based in New York City. It was named after James Beard, a food writer, teacher, and cookbook author. Its programs include guest-chef dinners to scholarships for asp ...

's ''Who's Who of American Food''. By 1993, Richard had nine restaurants, after opening a Citronelle in Georgetown. In 1997, he sold half of his interest in Citrus (Los Angeles) to the Meristar Corporation, who were also his partners in Citronelle. In 1998, he moved to Washington, D.C., renovating the Citronelle there and renaming it Michel Richard Citronelle, making it his flagship restaurant. It would be his home-base until it closed in 2012. In 2003, Richard became a U.S. citizen. He won the 2007

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

for Outstanding Chef. In 2007, Richard opened a new restaurant, Central Michel Richard on

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

, and it won the

for Best New Restaurant. That year, he also opened Citrus at Social in

and Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch. At 65, Richard opened a restaurant and bakery in the New York Palace hotel in 2013. The restaurant closed within a year. On December 13, 2014, Michel was presented with the insignia of

Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur 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. Currently consisting of five classes, it was o ...

and Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merit by the Republic of France. Richard died at Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C., on August 13, 2016, from complications after a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. At the time of his death, the Pomme Palais bakery in New York and Central Michel Richard were his last two restaurants.

Awards and honors

* ''The Best Restaurants in the United States'' – Travelers Magazine (1987) * ''Who's Who of Cooking in America'' – '' Cook's'' Magazine (1988) * ''"Who's Who" in American Food and Wine'' –

(1991) * ''Best Chef, California & Hawaii'' –

(1992) * ''Top 20 Restaurants in the Country'' (Citronelle) – Gourmet Magazine (2001 and 2006) * ''Member'' – Traditions & Qualité, Les Grandes Tables du Monde (2002) * ''Best Fine Dining Restaurant and Chef of the Year, Best Chef of the Year'' – Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (2002) * ''Member'' – Relais & Chateaux Organization (2003) * ''Outstanding Chef'' –

(2007) * ''Outstanding Wine Service ark Slater' –

(2007) * ''Best New Restaurant'' (Central) –

(2008)

Books

*''Michel Richard's Home Cooking with a French Accent'', Morrow, NY (January 1, 1993) ASIN: B001XGZ1Q8 *''Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking the Art of Eating'', Artisan, (October 2006) *''Sweet Magic: Easy Recipes for Delectable Desserts'', Ecco, (November 2010)

Television

*''

Baking with Julia ''Baking with Julia'' is an American television cooking program produced by Julia Child and the name of the book which accompanied the series. Each episode featured one pastry chef or baker who demonstrates professional techniques that can be per ...

'' (Episodes 103 and 304) *'' How to Cook Everything; Bittman Takes on America's Chefs'' (Episode 108) *'' Great Chefs – Great Cities'' (Episodes 40, 62, and 76) *''

Chef's Story ''Chef's Story'' is a 26-part Public Television series featuring Dorothy Cann Hamilton interviewing well-known chefs and restaurateurs. Hamilton, founder and CEO of The French Culinary Institute, conducts the interviews in front of culinary student ...

'' (Episode 111) *'' Cooking with Master Chefs'' (Chocolate Dome; Hot Chocolate Truffles. Episode 2) *"Monet's Palate - A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny" *"Colameco's Food Show - Michel Richard/Citronelle"

References

External links

*
CentralJames Beard Foundation (Michel Richard)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richard, Michel 1948 births 2016 deaths French chefs French male chefs French emigrants to the United States French restaurateurs People from Champagne-Ardenne James Beard Foundation Award winners