Luxe Beat Magazine MARCH 2015 | Page 71

Epicure 2009, I dined at the orth an th o th Th combination of these six restaurants serves over two thousand meals daily. Bocuse always sees opportunities and does not hesitate to act. He now has introduced his take on French-style fast food in two Quest Express outlets, one in Lyon and the other in Villefranche-surSaône. And in a natural progression, he has ventured into the hotel business with his forty-room Docks Quest. hat r t ar my interest in this icon was the Institut Paul Bocuse, originally called the Paul Bocuse School of Culinary Arts. I knew Hervé had taught there, and I knew several chefs who had received their credentials at the school. Apparently Paul Bocuse is known for having as much respect for the people who work for him as the guests he serves. He expects the best and has the ability to inspire the best from those who work with him. Chefs who received diplomas from the Institute were talented, skillful and passionate. In 2000, Hervé started suggesting that att n o r Th n in 2008, he reminded me that Bocuse was aging and if I wanted to meet him, I had better attend. In 2009, att n y r t o r an I’m hooked. It took a genius of a man to bring together this worldwide competition of young chefs to compete in what seems like a Culinary Olympics. I did have the opportunity to meet Paul Bocuse in 2009, and I will always be rat Thi y ar ar it t nty o rth y ar an it t keeps getting better. Hervé has shared some biographical information on Bocuse: He has always lived above the restaurant where he was working with his wife. Now, due to age, he is on the first floor, but still on site. He was responsible for encouraging chefs to step out of the kitchen into the dining room to see responses and reactions to dishes. He has focused on integrating regional foods. To date, there is only one 71