Michel Roux

Michel Roux
Michel Roux
Born	19 April 1941 (age 85); Charolles, Saône-et-Loire, France
Died	11 March 2020 (aged 78); Bray, Berkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Chef, restaurateur
Years active	1960s–2020
Known for	Co-founder of Le Gavroche and The Waterside Inn; pioneering contemporary UK restaurant cuisine; Roux Brothers Scholarship

Michel Roux, OBE (19 April 1941 – 11 March 2020), often referred to as Michel Roux Snr., was a distinguished French chef and restaurateur who established his career in the United Kingdom. Together with his brother Albert, he founded Le Gavroche, which became the first restaurant in Britain to be awarded three Michelin stars. They also created The Waterside Inn, notable for being the first establishment outside France to hold three Michelin stars continuously for 25 years.

Following in his brother's footsteps into pastry, Michel relocated to England to help launch their inaugural restaurant. The siblings earned the reputation of being the pioneers of contemporary restaurant cuisine in the UK. Michel Roux was honored with multiple French distinctions and received two lifetime achievement accolades. During the 1960s, he fulfilled his French National Service obligations.

In 1984, Michel and Albert inaugurated the Roux Brothers Scholarship to nurture budding culinary talent. Michel also provided consultancy services for firms such as British Airways and Celebrity Cruises. After dividing their business interests in 1986, Michel took full control of The Waterside Inn, later entrusting its leadership to his son, Alain, in 2002. He continued contributing as a food writer and appeared on television programs including Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef, The Roux Legacy, as well as on BBC Radio 4’s Woman's Hour.

Early life

Michel Roux was born on 19 April 1941 in Charolles, Saône-et-Loire, above his grandfather’s charcuterie shop. Following World War II, his family relocated to Paris where his father opened another charcuterie; however, due to gambling losses, the business failed and by the time Michel was ten, his father had permanently left the family.

Career

At fourteen years old, Michel pursued a culinary career inspired by his elder brother Albert, a patissier. He began an apprenticeship under Camille Loyal in Belleville, Paris. After completing this training, he joined Albert at the British Embassy in Paris as a pastry chef and later worked for Philippe de Rothschild while Albert moved to England.

From 1960 to 1962, Michel completed his French National Service, including deployment overseas in Algeria, for which he received a commemorative medal.

Although he briefly considered a career in opera singing, Michel ultimately moved to London with Albert despite language challenges. In 1967, they opened their first restaurant, Le Gavroche, which attracted notable patrons such as Charlie Chaplin. Their enterprise expanded with the opening of The Waterside Inn in Bray in 1972 and further into catering services.

When Michelin began awarding stars in the UK in 1974, both restaurants earned one star; by 1977, each had achieved two stars. Le Gavroche relocated to Mayfair in 1982 and became the first UK restaurant awarded three Michelin stars. The Waterside Inn followed by obtaining three stars in 1985. Although Le Gavroche lost its third star in 1993 and closed in 2024, The Waterside Inn sustained three Michelin stars for over a quarter-century—the first venue outside France to do so.

The Roux Brothers Scholarship was launched in 1984 to support aspiring chefs, with distinguished recipients including Andrew Fairlie and Sat Bains.

After strategic disagreements led to their business separation in 1986, Albert took control of Le Gavroche while Michel retained ownership of The Waterside Inn. Michel served as a consultant for British Airways between 1983 and 2003 and for Celebrity Cruises from 1990 onward. Their catering company was acquired by Compass Group in 1993; Albert remained involved as a consultant.

In 2002, Michel’s son Alain assumed the role of chef patron at The Waterside Inn.

In 2008, citing concerns about public safety in the UK, Michel permanently moved to Crans-Montana, Switzerland. He also maintained property on the Côte d'Azur.

From 2014 onwards, Michel consulted for British baking firm Bakedin, guiding recipe development efforts.

Television and radio appearances

Michel Roux expressed disapproval of entertainment-focused cooking programs such as the 1990s game show Can't Cook, Won't Cook, criticizing them for their lack of essential culinary techniques and concentration. During the early 1980s, he co-starred with his brother Albert in the BBC series At Home with the Roux Brothers. The siblings also featured together on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 1986.

In January 2012, the Good Food channel broadcasted a five-episode series titled The Roux Legacy, which showcased both brothers along with their sons, Michel Jr. and Alain. Michel Roux appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef: The Professionals alongside his nephew Michel Jr., and also participated in Saturday Kitchen with his son Alain.

Achievements and recognition

Industry publication Caterer and Hotelkeeper has referred to Michel Roux and his brother as the "godfathers of modern restaurant cuisine in the UK." In 2011, The Observer Food Monthly awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award, describing him as "possibly the finest pastry chef this country has ever produced." Additionally, Tatler magazine honored him with their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

A 2003 survey conducted by Caterer and Hotelkeeper named the Roux brothers as the most influential chefs in the United Kingdom. Michel was further recognized as AA Chef's Chef in 2004. By 2010, he estimated that around half of Britain's Michelin-starred chefs had trained under either him or his brother, including prominent figures such as Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, and Pierre Koffman.

Michel Roux was awarded the distinguished Meilleur Ouvrier de France en Pâtisserie in 1976. His French honors included being named Chevalier of the National Order of Merit (France) in 1987, officer of the Mérite agricole, Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1990, and receiving the Legion of Honour in 2004. On an international level, he was appointed honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2002 and was granted an honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts from the University of Rhode Island that same year.

Personal life

Michel Roux was Albert Roux’s brother. He fathered a son named Alain Roux, while Albert’s son is known as Michel Roux Jr.. Following Michel’s divorce, Alain relocated to France with his mother but maintained a close working relationship with his father during school holidays and chose to pursue a culinary career at age fourteen.

Michel met his second wife, Robyn Joyce (1984–2017), through a blind date arranged by former apprentice Leigh Stone-Herbert in Sydney, Australia. Their partnership played a role in facilitating training opportunities for Australian chefs under the guidance of the Roux brothers.

Michel Roux passed away on 11 March 2020 at his residence in Bray, Berkshire, aged 78, after a struggle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

External links

Official website (archived)