Joel Robuchon Quotes

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Joel Robuchon

Profession : Chef

Birth : April 7, 1945

Taste is developed by the diversity of the products one can sample. I think our children today may be missing an education about food. We must teach them to know their cuisine and to know the equilibrium of nourishment. That is very important for health.

Joel Robuchon

There is no such thing as the perfect meal; one can always do better.

Joel Robuchon

One should eat cumin every day!

Joel Robuchon

The older I get, the more I realize the truth is the simpler the food, the more exceptional it can be.

Joel Robuchon

Southeast Asia food uses many different types of spices which are quite new to me, like the curry leaves which I saw at the Kreta Ayer wet market in Chinatown. With such spices used in cooking, this usually imparts a strong aroma to Southeast Asian food, which appeals to the senses.

Joel Robuchon

When new cooks come to work for me, they obviously make mistakes at the beginning or there's some messiness to the presentation. What I always say to them is: 'If you were cooking this for your mother or your girlfriend, would you make those mistakes?'

Joel Robuchon

I highly doubt that many people are as organized as me.

Joel Robuchon

I love the sun; I would have trouble living in Canada.

Joel Robuchon

The simpler the food, the harder it is to prepare it well. You want to truly taste what it is you're eating. So that goes back to the trend of fine ingredients. It's very Japanese: Preparing good ingredients very simply, without distractions from the flavor of the ingredient itself.

Joel Robuchon

I think I grew up with the idea that there was something comforting about preparing food.

Joel Robuchon

I'd always been a very competitive boy - I hated coming second.

Joel Robuchon

I am a gourmand. I like to eat. When I have something that I like, I tend to have too much of it. That is a guilty pleasure.

Joel Robuchon

I love Vegas. It really has the most wonderful shows, the greatest performers.

Joel Robuchon

In France, we have a geographic situation that is very exceptional, and it creates produce that is completely exceptional.

Joel Robuchon

You get a lot of young chefs who have a lot of savoir-faire, a lot of technical knowledge. What's important is to convey to them a cuisine that is made from the heart.

Joel Robuchon

When you cook, you take a life. When you eat fish, or meat, you take a life. And you must be very respectful of the ingredients and that is very important.

Joel Robuchon

If you are killing a chicken and cooking a chicken, it has to taste like chicken. Veal has to taste like veal. You have to be able to identify what you're eating. One of my worst experiences is when I can't tell what I'm eating. It is a waste.

Joel Robuchon

When I used to have a show on French TV, people would ask me how my jacket stayed spotless while cooking. Your whole area has to be clean - and you have to keep it that way.

Joel Robuchon

I like a well-roasted rotisserie chicken and eggs cooked various ways, like sunny-side up or scrambled. It's comfort food for me.

Joel Robuchon

A few years ago, kids from poor areas in France were asked to draw items of food. For a chicken, they drew a drumstick. For a fish, they drew a fish stick. Those are extremes, but there is a lot that needs to be done to help children discover good food.

Joel Robuchon