Michel Roux
With his brother Albert, he transplanted French haute cuisine to London, forever elevating Britain's culinary landscape.
1941–2020 (age 79)·French chef·Birthday: April 19·The Silent Generation
Biography
Michel Roux arrived in Britain as a young chef and, alongside his brother Albert, proceeded to rewrite its gastronomic rules. In 1967, they opened Le Gavroche, a restaurant of such refined French technique that it seemed to belong in Paris, not London. It was a bold gamble that paid off spectacularly, becoming the first UK restaurant to earn three Michelin stars. Not content with one revolution, they then launched The Waterside Inn in Bray, which mastered the art of classic French cuisine with such perfection it held three stars for decades. Roux's exacting standards and passion for mentorship created a dynasty; he trained a generation of chefs who would go on to define modern British cooking. More than a restaurateur, he was a craftsman who believed in the transformative power of a perfect sauce, and in doing so, he taught a nation to appreciate the art of fine dining.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Michel was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Michel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2020Died at 79
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Le Gavroche, which in 1982 became the first restaurant in Britain to be awarded three Michelin stars.
- Co-founded The Waterside Inn, which held three Michelin stars for over 25 years, a record for a restaurant outside France.
- Awarded an OBE for services to the hospitality industry and was a revered mentor to countless leading chefs.
Did You Know?
He initially moved to the UK to work as a private chef for the family of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
He was a talented pastry chef, and his desserts were considered legendary.
His son, Alain Roux, continues to run The Waterside Inn, maintaining the family's three-star standard.
“A great sauce is the soul of the dish.”
