By 1989 Joel Robuchon was not only considered the best chef in the world, he was awarded "Chef of the Century." He trained new legends like Eric Ripert and Gordon Ramsay. He was God of Restaurants.
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And the whole dinner we're talking with the chefs and the waiter and we're all super hitting it off, talking food, diving into the intricacies, having a grand old time.
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So we're closing the night down and ready for goodbyes and then it happens... Robuchon pokes his head out the door to look in... I go dead quiet, jaw agape. This dude is a fucking hero and... there.. he... is.
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THEN, the chef walks over to Joel and I'm half-listening, but it's akin to "you should really say hello to...." I'm basically crapping my pants, but Joel Robuchon turns his head and looks me, making dead eye contact with the person the chef's talking about... And then...
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Joel Robuchon, chef of the century, literally turtles into his shoulders, goes wide-eyed and scared, and ran away. I immediately cracked up. And I think about this moment literally time someone mentions his name. But not out of something that wants to turn it into a joke.
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Because Robuchon, like most human beings could apparently be charming and fun in the right scenarios or interview setting, especially as his passion for food is inherent to everything about him... but also dealt with things that went beyond this...
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A friend in his orbit put words to the things Robuchon never did: social anxiety, general anxiety, fears of speaking a foreign language, all the things we never think of when it comes to these larger than life gods who are really just people with real, quiet fears and battles.
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And today he died of cancer. And I hate it. He had many good years left. His empire was back at full strength. To put it simply, Robuchon had more Michelin stars than any chef in the world. And he was still teaching.
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In trying to describe his importance to you, there is no correct parallel in the world of film. Depending on how you frame Robuchon's story, he is at once Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Francois Truffaut, or Terrence Malick.
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But I will always first think about him being too scared to talk to me, some random customer. And how that makes me feel nothing but empathy for all the amazing people who ever felt the same anxieties. And how passion can be the thing that leads you through. <3
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