Michel Guérard, the renowned French chef who revolutionized traditional French cuisine, has passed away at the age of 91. The news was reported by the French news agency AFP, citing sources close to him.
Guérard is considered one of the pioneers of Nouvelle Cuisine, a movement that emerged in the early 1970s aimed at renewing French cooking by focusing on lighter, more refined dishes instead of excessive richness. He also made significant contributions to diet cuisine from the mid-1970s onwards. Today, a culinary school dedicated to healthy eating bears his name.
A career that began in baking
Born on March 27, 1933, in a small village about 60 kilometers from Paris, Guérard was the son of a butcher. In 1950, he began an apprenticeship as a pastry chef. Just a few years later, at the age of 25, he was crowned the best pastry chef in France.
After supplying his creations to trendy Parisian establishments, Guérard opened his restaurant, Pot-au-feu, near Paris in 1965. Later, he moved to the southwest of France, where his restaurant, Les Prés d’Eugénie, has held three Michelin stars since 1977.
