At home with the Roux Brothers.
ALBERT AND MICHEL ROUX. BBC Books.
FIRST EDITION 1988. 230 x 150mm. Half Title. On the verso - a tipped in 'good-wishes' card from Albert and Michel Roux, signed by each. Title page. Printer's info. on verso. p5 Contents. p6 Acknowledgements. p7-13 Introduction. 14-219. 220-223 Index. [1]. Soft cardboard covers. In very good condition. As new.
- The Roux brothers themselves come from a family of humble charcutiers in Charolles, France. The brothers trained as pâtissiers, and came to London to seek their fortunes in the 1950s. Albert worked as a private chef for Nancy Astor; Michel worked for the Rothschilds. In his memoir-cum-recipe book, A Life in the Kitchen (2009), Michel Jr describes an idyllic childhood – a world of everyday feasts and family gatherings, living on a big estate in Shipbourne, Kent. The only arguments Michel Jr can remember were about food. "My father and my uncle would have furious arguments over how to make an omelette ... As far back as I can remember, family and food were the most important things in our lives." In the school holidays, Albert would wake Michel Jr at one or two in the morning to go to Billingsgate fish market, then Smithfield for meat, and Covent Garden for fruit and veg. Albert's wife, Monique, would drive to Paris for ingredients unobtainable in England. Eventually, of course, the pressures took their toll: Albert and Monique divorced in 2001. They both remarried. Albert and Michel opened the present Le Gavroche at 43 Upper Brook St, in Mayfair, London. In 1974, the Roux brothers were awarded their first Michelin star for their cooking at Le Gavroche. In 1977, they were awarded a second, and in 1982 they were awarded their third. Le Gavroche was the first British restaurant to be so honoured. Michelin stars for the brothers' other restaurant, the Waterside Inn at Bray, in Berkshire, soon followed. The Roux family tradition continues. Michel Jr trained as a patissier, and now runs Le Gavroche, having taken over the restaurant from his father in 1993. Michel Sr's son, Alain, now runs the Waterside Inn, which has been awarded three Michelin stars for 25 years consecutively. In an article online from the Radio Times a small synopsis tells us that the Roux Brothers are going to do a series of 13 programmes starting on BBC 2 on the 23rd October 1988. It further states; Albert and Michel Roux , famous chef-restaurateurs, dip into the stock pot; pull apart some bouquets garnis; argue about the way to make watercress soup, and clarify consommes. But whatever the arguments, both brothers agree that the important thing is to enjoy cooking. As Albert says, good food is a pleasure that transcends national boundaries. You don't have to be French to be good at it. This is the book from that cookery show.
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Modern category
ref number:
11312