Suzanne
Chapel
Alain
Chapel was one of the fathers of the new cuisine that swept the
culinary world with innovation. He was one of the first to not
only see the possibilities of French restaurants in Japan but
of a fusion of Japanese and French cuisine.
His
restaurant in Kobe, Japan is still thriving today. As a young
man, along with fellow trainees Bocuse, Outhier
and Troisgros, he blossomed under the tutelage
of Point who was quite possibly the real source
of the new cuisine labeled "Nouvelle Cuisine"
by food journalists Gault and Millau. After paying
his dues in some of the top kitchens in France, he returned to
the inn his parents owned just beyond the northern boundaries
of Lyon. Chef Chapel transformed it into one of the top restaurants
in France, and became in turn patron to younger chefs like Alain
Ducasse.
He
rode the cultural changes in France that came with high speed
freeways and refrigerated delivery that allowed guests to drive
to his restaurant in a few hours from Paris or Nice and the speedy
delivery of fresh ingredients. This, coupled with a post WWII
prosperity, permitted a significant part of the population to
indulge in gastronomic travel. He built new bedrooms so his clientele
could stay the night making it possible for them to imbibe the
wine and sip fine brandies with cigars.
The
supreme quality of his food lured foodies to his out-of-the-way
corner of the country. He was a master of promotion and was aided
by the simultaneous development of the modern media market penetration
of TV, radio, food magazines and journalistic czars of opinion
who could make or break a restaurant. He was at his zenith in
the late 1980's with acolytes lining up on the sidewalk outside
for even the most menial of kitchen jobs.
And
then his heart gave out.
Looking
at the photographs of M. Chapel in the years
leading up to his tragic early end, the signs can be seem in the
dark smears under the eyes, the exhaustion caught in the lines
of his face.
We
first ate "Alain Chapel" in 1987, just a few years before
his death. The restaurant was at its zenith and was superb. It
was filled with life and energy including the four-legged variety.
Chapel loved dogs, preparing for them bowls of veal and vegetable
mélange.
The
modern food contrasted well with the age of the building. Worn
flag stone floors, spacious fireplaces, drooping wood beams, and
antique furniture were housed in a modest collection of buildings
from different eras and styles. But Chapel's creative juices were
vibrant and his energy seemingly inexhaustible.
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Alain
Chapel - Garden Pond |
And
then in 1990, he died; the man who had taught and inspired so
many young chefs and brought gastronomic joy to so many others.
He left his wife Suzanne and two sons. Suzanne Chapel,
whose background was clinical administration, found herself without
a husband but with the responsibility of an art form and a business
that needed a constant infusion of energy and promotion to keep
the quality and clientele.
Michelin
immediately stripped her kitchen of a star and then sat back for
a "wait and see."
She
still had the disciplined and highly trained staff who served
up perfect "Alain Chapel" even when Alain Chapel
was abroad, at least for the short term. But without the great
man to learn from, many of these cashed in on the association
with Chapel to obtain positions in equally high-end kitchens as
they worked their way up the ladder of their own careers. Madame
Chapel tried to keep her best chefs. Her goal was to
create a living monument to her late husband; keep his memory
through his cuisine alive. Shortly she sent for Philippe
Jousse who was the executive chef of Restaurant
Alain Chapel in Kobe, Japan. Chef Jousse knew the cuisine
of Alain Chapel inside and out. She offered him the kitchen with
the stipulation that at least half the menu would remain Chapel
Classics; the rest he could develop himself.
16
years later, Chef Jousse is still happily ensconced
in these kitchens doing just this. He has kept his own creations
deeply rooted in the Chapel approach. He appears on French TV
and other media.
The
physical establishment is little changed. On revisiting recently,
we found the spirit of Alain Chapel a strong
presence. It is at once a delicious nostalgia and a museum whose
collection is frozen in time. Although the food is excellent,
the third star was never returned. As good as Jousse is, he is
not a culinary ground-breaker. His food tends to follow trends
rather than make them.
Despite
that, it is not often that you can actually step back in time
and taste and experience those dishes that led the charge for
change; change that we take for granted today; the movement away
from the "Classic Cuisine" of Escoffier towards lighter,
more creative cuisine that became known as "Nouvelle
Cuisine".
Chez
Alain Chapel should be on everyone's "must do"
list not only to re-experience the source of today's varied cuisine
but for the pleasure of the food itself. Besides, Chapel Jr. is
learning over his own father's stoves under the attentive eye
of Chef Jousse. In a few years . . . . . who knows?
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