Thierry Rautureau (1958/1959 – October 29, 2023), nicknamed The Chef in the Hat, was a French-American

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

based in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. He was also the chef and owner of several former restaurants, including Loulay and Luc, but entered "semi-retired" following his restaurants' difficulties with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Rautureau apprenticed in

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France ** Du ...

, France, and at twenty moved to the United States to work at several fine restaurants. He became the chef/owner of Rover's Restaurant in 1987, and before closing its doors in 2013 it helped make him one of the most recognizable chefs around Seattle. Rautureau has won various awards including the

James Beard 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 Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest in 1998, and has been awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre Du Mérite Agricole by the French government. In 2010, Rautureau opened Luc, a French-American café and bar in Madison Valley. This was followed by Loulay Kitchen & Bar in 2013, a French-inspired restaurant that balanced the upscale Rover's with country-style cooking that he enjoyed growing up on the farm in France. Both restaurants closed in 2021, following difficulties with the COVID-19 pandemic, as the chef entered "semi-retirement". Rautureau cooked for such well-known figures as

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

, and

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (Birth name#Maiden and married names, née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American pu ...

Early life

Rautureau was raised in the town of Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay in the Muscadet region of France. His parents were farmers in a small agricultural community where the cows and chickens outnumbered the people. The family cooked only what they grew, thus providing a purely seasonal diet. As the oldest child, Rautureau was given the chore of doing the prep for dinner; and as such he quickly became acquainted with fresh homegrown ingredients at a young age.

Early career

At fourteen, Rautureau started a cooking apprenticeship in

, France and at sixteen went on a Regional Tour de France and trained in the cities of Le Mont Saint Michel in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, Chamonix in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

, and Hendaye in the

Pays Basque The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided o ...

. At twenty, after six years of traditional French training, Rautureau headed for the United States and took his professional experience to La Fontaine with Jean Claude Poilevey in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. After three years in Chicago, Rautureau moved to

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, ...

where he worked at the Regency Club with

Joachim Splichal Joachim Splichal is a celebrity chef based in Los Angeles, California. In 1991, he was declared "Best California Chef" by the James Beard Foundation. Four years later in 1995, he was inducted into their "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America". Sp ...

, and then The Seventh Street Bistro with Laurent Quenioux.

Restaurants

Rover's

While visiting Seattle in 1987, Rautureau dined at Rover's and discovered that the restaurant was for sale. He decided to buy the restaurant so that he could express his culinary creativity as the chef/owner while enjoying the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. Rautureau said of his cooking philosophy: “it starts with freshness and continues with treating all ingredients with attention.” He identified the cuisine at Rover's as “Northwest contemporary with a French accent.” His cuisine also contained

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

overtones and various Asian elements. Overall his cuisine is aligned with the philosophy of "food as art". Rover's closed its doors on June 23, 2013 as Rautureau prepared for "new opportunities".

Luc

In 2010, Rautureau opened Luc, a casual French-American café and bar named after his late father, Luc Rautureau. Being primarily local, seasonal and sustainable, Luc's food is heavily influenced by the French comfort food Rautureau grew up eating on his parents’ farm. In order to raise money to open Luc, the established chef pre-sold gift certificates. Interested parties were offered three gift certificates valued at $435, which could be used over the course of three years for $1,000. The names of these "Founding Diners" are now featured in Luc on bronze plaques.Hambley, Nathan "Rautureau’s Luc Brings French-Spirited Kitchen and Bar to Seattle’s Madison Valley." May 2009. Frause. Print. The two paintings in the dining room were both artistic interpretations of old Rautureau family photographs, one of Rautureau as a boy and another of his parents as a young couple, which were rendered by a Seattle-based French artist named Isa Darleans. Luc closed on August 28, 2021, following struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic and what Rautureau described as a "financially unsustainable lease".

Loulay

After closing Rover's in 2013, Chef Thierry Rautureau opened Loulay Kitchen & Bar in downtown Seattle, at the bottom of the Sheraton Hotel. Named for Chef Thierry Rautureau's hometown of Saint Hilaire de Loulay in France, Loulay served home-style French cuisine influenced by Pacific Northwest ingredients. The restaurant was dubbed "Best Restaurant of the year" by Seattle Met Magazine. Loulay closed in March of 2020, following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle, and never reopened. Rautureau made the closure permanent in August 2021.

Television and radio appearances

From 2003 to 2010, Rautureau was the co-host of the talk radio show “Seattle Kitchen" with fellow chef Tom Douglas on KIRO 97.3FM. The two chefs conducted interviews with people in the food world, recounted recipes, gave a wine of the week and discussed food in the news. In 2012, Rautureau and Douglas returned to KIRO Radio with
Seattle Kitchen
" heard Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 10am on 97.3 FM in Seattle. After a few months of ratings success, the show was extended to two hours. On television, Rautureau was featured on the Food Network's “Dining Around”Webster, Kerry. "Fresh Today." ''The Seattle Times''. 29 May 1996. 2010. Web

and “Ready, Set, Cook!," Ming Tsai, Ming Tsai's “Simply Ming,” 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 “French Fest,"Hinterberger, John. "Rover's Thierry -- It's Likely This Madison Valley Chef Is Better Known In New York City." ''The Seattle Times''. 1996. 2010. Web

and the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

series “ Great Chefs from the Great Cities."Hinterberger, Jerry. "New Bites." ''The Seattle Times''. 10 August 1995. 2010. Web

Rautureau has also been a celebrity chef judge for the PBS series ''

MasterChef USA ''MasterChef USA'' is an American competitive cooking show that aired on PBS from 2000 to 2001. The series was hosted by Gary Rhodes. The series format was based directly on BBC's ''MasterChef'', which used Rhodes as host during 2001. The sho ...

''. Rautureau's most well-known television appearance is as a contestant on the second season of the

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

reality series ''

Top Chef Masters ''Top Chef Masters'' is an American reality competition series that aired on the cable television network Bravo (American TV network), Bravo, and premiered June 10, 2009. It is a spinoff (media), spinoff of Bravo's hit show ''Top Chef''. In the ...

''. Rautureau competed against Monica Pope (T'afia), Carmen González (Chef Consultant), David Burke (David Burke Townhouse), and the eventual winner of the season,

Marcus Samuelsson {{Infobox chef , name = Marcus Samuelsson , image = Marcus Samuelsson 2012 (cropped).jpg , caption = Samuelsson at the 2012 Göteborg Book Fair , birth_date = {{Birth date and age, df=yes, 1971, 01, 25 , birth_n ...

(Red Rooster, Aquavit) in the second episode entitled "Top Chef Masters Season 2: It's My Party." The challenge for the chefs was to cook a meal inspired by

soul food Soul food is the ethnic cuisine of African Americans. Originating in the Southern United States, American South from the cuisines of Slavery in the United States, enslaved Africans transported from Africa through the Atlantic slave trade, sou ...

for actor Mekhi Phifer's birthday party. González and Samuelsson advanced, while Pope, Rautureau and Burke were eliminated. In 2012, Rautureau returned as a contestant on season four of Top Chef Masters. He made it to the fifth round before being eliminated. In July 2013, Chef Rautureau participated in the making of reality YouTube series, Kitchen Circus. Three home cooks make one course for 45 diners. Chef Thierry Rautureau guides contestants from cooking through service. Will it be Angel, Siri or Beth who makes the diner's favorite course? Celebrity Guests include: Tom Douglas (Seattle Restaurateur), Steve Scher (NPR Radio Host), Marty Riemer (Radio Host). The series had a total of 4 episodes concluded with a finale. Watch all the episodes
here.
TV programming channe
KCTS9
produced a behind-the-scenes interview with Chef Thierry Rautureau which was put out on Nov. 3, 2014. Take a look at th
full interview

Community involvement

Rautureau served on the Board of Directors for Food Lifeline, a

Western Washington Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington State west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that provides food to 675,000 people through

food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

s, hot meal programs, shelters, and more. Rautureau also participated in various other community and charity events and fundraisers, such as the opening of the Dale Turner YMCA in Shoreline, WA.Ramirez, Marc. "Community Turns Out for Dale Turner YMCA Grand Opening." ''The Seattle Times'' 5 October 2008. Web

He was also on the board of "Visit Seattle" and "Alliance Française Seattle".

Personal life and death

Rautureau was married to Kathleen Encell-Rautureau, a floral designer who also does arrangements for the restaurants. She was also the impetus for the chef's nickname. It was Kathy who gave Rautureau a fedora for Christmas, which he wore almost unceasingly. One evening, Rautureau entered the dining room at Rover's to speak with a guest without removing his hat. The guest exclaimed: “Look, it’s the Chef in the Hat!" Other guests overheard the comment, and the phrase eventually became his nickname. He trademarked the name the next day and has been recognized worldwide as "the Chef In The Hat". Thierry Rautureau died on October 29, 2023, after a long battle with an autoimmune disease that affected his lungs. He was 64.

Awards and recognition

From Rautureau opening Rover's in 1987, both the chef and his restaurants received local and national recognition from both press and industry critics. 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 ...

nominated him as one of the "Best Chefs in America" in 1993, 1995, and 1997, before giving him the award in 1998, and he was a semifinalist for the organization's "Outstanding Chef" title in 2008. The French government awarded him the Chevalier de l’Ordre Du Mérite Agricole in 2004. Loulay Kitchen & Bar was named Best New Restaurant of 2014 by ''

Seattle Metropolitan ''Seattle Metropolitan'', or ''Seattle Met'', is a monthly city magazine covering Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the ...

''.

List of awards

1990s

* Seattle Magazine: Restaurant of the Year, Readers’ Choice Award (1998) *The Wine Spectator: Top Fine Dining Restaurant in Seattle (1998) *

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and sea ...

: Best French Food in Seattle (September 1998) *

Nations Restaurant News ''Nation's Restaurant News'' (''NRN'') is an American trade publication, founded in 1967. NRN covers the foodservice industry, including restaurants, restaurant chains, operations, marketing, and events. It is owned by Informa (who acquired Pent ...

: Fine Dining Hall of Fame Award (1998) *The James Beard Foundation Awards: Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest (1998) *Les Maitres Cuisiniers de France (induction) (1998) *Seattle Magazine: Best Service, Readers’ Choice Award (1999)

2000s

Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have ...

: Number One Top Seattle Choice (1996, 1998, 2000) *Seattle Magazine: Best Overall, Critics’ Choice Award (2000, 2001) *DiRoNA: Distinguished Dining Ambassador (2002) *L’Ordre Du Mérite Agricole: Chevalier (2004) *Washington Wine Restaurant Awards: Best Service (2004) *

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' ...

: Best of Award Of Excellence (2003, 2004, 2005) *DiRoNa: Outstanding Food and Service (1997-2005) *Top Ten Best: Seattle Magazine 2005 *Washington Wine Restaurant Awards: Best Washington Wine Reserve (2003-2005) *Wine Spectator: Award Of Excellence (1997-2002, 2008) *

Mobil Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and online travel guide for hotels, restaurants and spas. In 2011, Forbes Travel Guide published its last set of guidebooks and, on November 15, 20 ...

: Four Stars (1998-2008) *

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA) is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 million members in the United States and Cana ...

: Four Diamond Award (1998-2008) *

Zagat The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, coverin ...

: Best Service in Seattle (2002-2009) *Zagat: Seattle's Top Food (1993-2009)"Rover's Restaurant." ''Zagat''. 2010. Web

.

2010s

*Zagat: The 25 Most Important Restaurants of 2013 *

Seattle Met ''Seattle Metropolitan'', or ''Seattle Met'', is a monthly city magazine covering Seattle, Washington. Its first issue was published in March 2006, and features reporting and feature articles on Seattle events, politics, people, dining and restaur ...

: Best New Restaurant of 2014: Loulay (2014) *

Thrillist ''Thrillist'' is an online media website covering travel. ''Thrillist'' was founded in 2004 by Ben Lerer and Adam Rich. In October 2016, Thrillist merged with internet brands ''The Dodo'', NowThis News, and Seeker to form the digital media ...

: Seattle's 10 best new burgers of 2014 *Thrillist: The 21 best new restaurants in America 2014 (2014) *Thrillist: Seattle's 11 best new restaurants of 2014 (2014)

References

External links

An In-Depth Personal Interview with Thierry Rautureau - July 2014
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rautureau, Thierry Year of birth uncertain 1950s births 2023 deaths Chefs from Seattle French restaurateurs James Beard Foundation Award winners