“A restaurant is not a church!”

by Ulrich Koepf on December 7, 2020 with No Comments

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Joël Robuchon’s creed.

His last project: “The Woodward” in Geneva.

We wanted to meet for dinner. Not in a star restaurant, Joël Robuchon had enough of that himself; It was 32 Michelin stars in a good year. A fondue evening was planned with a successful Swiss hotelier from Macau, in the Carnotzet of an always cheerful Valais winemaker. Topic: Robuchon’s first engagement in Switzerland. The “boss of the century” had to cancel the appointment due to illness. He died of cancer on August 6, 2018, in Geneva, his adopted home. However, what Joël Robuchon was planning will open next spring after all: “The Woodward”, a magnificent palace right on the lake. With a «Atelier de Joël Robuchon», of course.

Robuchon was the first address in Paris. Exactly until his 50th birthday. Then he got out and devoted himself to projects that fascinated him more and burdens him less. His “studios”, for example, opened all over the world. The formula: black & red. No pomp and no arrogance. Signature dishes, are straightforward and served quite cheaply in most countries. Preferably at the bar, with a clear view of the kitchen and its pots. My favorite “atelier” is “L’Atelier Joël Robuchon Etoile” in Paris, under the Champs-Elysée, difficult to find in the windowless basement of a drug store.

Joël Robuchon, like his friend Frédy Girardet (Swiss), was an incredibly good, incredibly product-obsessed, and incredibly strict boss. But he was also a pioneer and trendsetter. Traveling to all continents and often to Japan had shown him that there are alternatives to the classic French “fine dining” temples. “A restaurant is not a church,” he used to say, pleading for a lot of happiness at the table. Robuchon was right: “Fine dining” has to be fun, otherwise the guests stay away. (Almost) everyone has understood that by now.

Read what is being created in Geneva here: an elegant luxury hotel, a “masterpiece”, managed by the excellently working “Oetker Collection”. With two restaurants that bear Robuchon’s signature (“L’Atelier”, “Le Jardinier”). It is sad that the great master can no longer experience how lovingly his last dream is implemented.