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The End of an Era – Remembering Chef Chambrette
It is with much
sadness that I report the death of Chef Fernand
Chambrette, on January 20, 2010 after a long struggle
with lymphatic cancer. All of us who were his colleagues
and students at La Varenne Cooking School in Paris mourn
the passing of a brilliant cook, a determined and
demanding teacher, and a very good friend.
Chef Chambrette
came to La Varenne after training in Escoffier-style
kitchens that culminated in his Michelin two-star
restaurant, La Boule d’Or. He was famous for his Quiche
Lorraine, Sole Bonne Femme, Rum Babas, Soufflé Potatoes,
and Crêpes Suzette, those culinary classics that refuse
to disappear. At first glance, you might shudder at Chef
Chambrette’s big, clumsy hands, but his lightness of
touch with a knife on the chopping board was a wonder.
He and Julia Child were firm friends. They shared the
same zest for food and sheer delight at being in the
kitchen. They both reveled in passing on expertise to
the next generation. Chef Chambrette did not hesitate to
point out his students’ successes and failures in the
classroom. He was equally critical of his own cooking,
constantly analyzing and inventing new dishes. His
knowledge and understanding of French cuisine were
unmatched, and his curiosity of mind left him learning
to the end.
When Chef
Chambrette joined the La Varenne staff, the school was
scarcely six months old. He did his job, bided his time,
and then one day came to see me. “I understand what you
are trying to do here”, he said. “I want to do all I can
to help you.” From then on it was I who was the student,
learning from him how to run a business, how the many
chefs who came through our doors would expect to be
welcomed. He upped the ante on our ingredients and the
students’ cooking took a quantum leap. Above all, he
taught me what great (often very simple) cooking
involved, and in many ways he changed my life.
We always shared a
love of old cookbooks and antiques, and in retirement he
spent long days with colleagues at the Salle Drouot
auction house. The Chef’s sense of humor was, shall we
say, quirky. He once baby-sat our 8 and 10-year-old
children by taking them one Monday on the weekly run to
Rungis wholesale food market. En route he expounded the
scholarly distinction between eroticism and pornography.
Yet another lesson never forgotten!
- Anne Willan,
Santa Monica |
La Varenne also mourns the passing of Chef Chambrette’s longtime
colleague Chef Albert Jorant.
Chef Jorant was an outstanding chef and exemplary instructor in
the pastry arts. His weekly pastry demonstration on Saturdays
at La Varenne in Paris was famous for the speed with which he
produced a magical display of a dozen or more different recipes,
including Chocolate Charlotte, Swiss Brioche, Almond Meringue
Cake and Wells of Love, all in under two hours. Chef Jorant
died on January 13, 2010 at the age of 93.
La Varenne Alumni News – Winter 2009
Jill Bernheimer,
La Varenne’s wine adviser in the U.S., recently opened her
flagship retail wine store, Domaine LA, in complement to her
online wine business,
www.domaine547.com. Jill and Anne
Willan recently teamed up to offer a special elegant entertaining
class, replete with wine pairings, for our Southern California
audience.
Denise Bina
is now
the new Director of Sales and Marketing at the Sundance Resort in
Sundance, Utah. Denise, along with her trusty companion Anke, are
settling in after relocating from the scenic mountains of New
Mexico to the scenic mountains of Utah.
Linda Collister
has
been busy writing. Her THE LITTLE BOOK OF CHOCOLATE TIPS was
published in paperback in September by Absolute Press. This
followed the publication of DIVINE: HEAVENLY CHOCOLATE RECIPES
from Absolute in January. This 100 recipe hardcover was published
in celebration of the “Fairtrade” chocolate produced by the Divine
Chocolate Company in the UK. In February 2010, Linda’s next book,
SWEET TREATS JUST LIKE MY MOTHER USED TO BAKE will be published by
Ryland, Peter & Small. This book features more than 75 recipes
for home-baked goodies from brownies to cakes to tarts and
includes Linda’s essential tips for baking.
Louisa Cooper
Neumann
is teaching regional French cuisine classes at Robert Reynolds
Chefs Studio in Portland, Oregon in addition to continuing to
teach classes at Barbara Dawson’s In Good Taste in Portland. You
can keep up with Louisa on via her blog,
www.theportlandpickle.com.
Judith Fertig’s
latest book, 300 BIG & BOLD BARBECUE & GRILLING RECIPES,
co-authored with Karen Adler, was released by Robert Rose, this
past May. For more information on Karen Adler and Judith Fertig,
please visit their website at
www.BBQQueens.com.
Timothy Grayson
has opened two restaurants called Paladar in Recife and Rio De
Janiero, Brazil. Tim writes that his culinary focus is mainly
South American dishes but he still employs all the basic skills he
learned at La Varenne with Chef Chambrette.
Ris Lacoste’s
long-awaited new restaurant, RIS, billed as an all-day café, is
opening in Washington, DC, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in
a 170 seat dining room in the Ritz-Carlton at 23rd & L
Streets. Ris recently received the 2009 WCR (Women Chefs &
Restaurateurs) Golden Whisk Award, which recognizes women chefs
who inspire others to pursue the profession.
Laurie Gallon
Lindrup
recently became a Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master
Sommeliers. She is now Vice President and COO of Revel Custom
Cellars, a Grand Rapids, Michigan company that designs and
manufactures high-end wine cellars for residential and commercial
applications. The venture was featured in WINE SPECTATOR this
summer,
http://revelcellars.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/WS_Revel.pdf.
Janis McLean
was co-chair of the 2009 WCR (Women Chefs &
Restaurateurs) Annual Conference in Washington, DC. Janis reports
the conference was a great success and a blast to attend,
http://www.womenchefs.org.
Steven Raichlen
has
finished filming of the next season of PRIMAL GRILL, his BBQ
television series for PBS. Highlights and recipes from the 2009
season, PRIMAL GRILL VOL. TWO, are now available on DVD, just in
time for the holidays. Stay up to date with Steven on
http://www.barbecuebible.com.
Heather Ramsdell
lives in New York and continues to work at Whole Foods Markets as
a creative coordinator; she’s also keeping busy with cookbook
recipe development.
Marah Stets
co-authored with Dean Rusker the recently released, THE GOLDEN
DOOR COOKS AT HOME, Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa, from
Clarkson Potter. The book features Chef Rusker’s healthy and
pleasurable spa recipes.
Nina Simonds
has created SPICES OF LIFE,
an innovative project that engages lovers of food, good health,
and fun through an online vlog and blog, and downloadable podcasts.
Check out
http://www.spicesoflife.com.
Denise Vivaldo’s
latest book, THE ENTERTAINING ENCYCLOPEDIA was released by Robert
Rose in October. The book contains everything you need to know to
entertain successfully; it is organized around specific theme
parties and Denise’s favorite accompanying recipes. Denise’s DO
IT FOR LESS! WEDDINGS was a 2009 IACP Cookbook Award winner.
Caroline Wright
has started her own food blog,
The Wright Recipes, featuring recipes
based on skills cultivated while working for Martha Stewart’s
EVERYDAY FOOD. Her website features a youthful perspective on
entertaining and covers topics like “Desert Island Cookbooks”, a
bi-monthly feature in which food personalities reveal their eight
indispensable cookbook choices.
As always, please send any contributions for
our next issue of Alumni News to
lvcontact@lavarenne.com. We look
forward to hearing from you!
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