The restaurant industry said goodbye to a number of influential personalities this year. Here’s a look at some of those who were lost.
Anthony Bourdain
Suicides often prompt survivors to ask, Why? The question hung heavily over the death of Bourdain, pictured above, who took his life at age 61 while on the road for his popular cable TV travelogue, “Parts Unknown.” He had been a success in every facet of a multi-directional career that seemed to unfold effortlessly: chef, top-selling author, TV star and curmudgeon without portfolio. And he did it without compromising his stay-off-the-brakes approach to all things, be it music, food or friendship. His passing stunned and deeply saddened the industry, and the nation as a whole.
Ella Brennan
The queen mother of New Orleans’ rich restaurant scene, Miss Ella had a direct connection to much of what made the Big Easy the culinary draw it remains today. Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme were virtual unknowns before she hired them to run the kitchens at Brennan’s, the fine-dining landmark she opened in 1946 after her elder brother died unexpectedly during the buildout. Commander’s Palace and Palace Cafe would follow. So would sons, grandchildren, nieces and nephews who would make their names in the business, including Ralph and Dickie Brennan, Ti Martin and Alex Martin-Brennan. Miss Ella’s reign as grande dame stretched for 80 years. She was 92 at the time of her death.
Jonathan Gold
For four decades, Los Angelenos learned of the best their city’s restaurants had to offer from Gold, an Everyman reviewer lured with pen and napkin to his next discovery by the promise of good food, be it street taco or sublime soup dumpling. His was not of the world of starched white tablecloths and silver domes lifted by tuxedoed servers, but a new noodle joint tucked between a tattoo parlor and a doughnut shop in some out-of-the-way strip mall. Publicizing places of that sort helped locals appreciate the diversity of the local dining scene. “He, more than any chef, changed the dining scene in Los Angeles,” chef Nancy Silverton told the Los Angeles Times. Gold died at age 57 from pancreatic cancer.
Paul Bocuse
French classicism took another hit with the passing of Bocuse—ironically, a rebel in the view of hardcore Escoffier disciples. The chef was known as the father of nouvelle cuisine, the 1980s style of fare that emphasized flavor and lightness over the heavy sauces of traditional Francophile cooking. No longer was the plate covered and smothered; Bocuse used small servings of fresh ingredients to deliver taste without torpor. His style in many ways presaged today’s emphasis on seasonal components and lighter, more healthful fare. The Culinary Institute of America dubbed him the Chef of the Century.
Joel Rubochon
Only four ingredients went into Rubochon’s version of mashed potatoes: butter, milk, salt and potatoes. But the butter was chilled, the milk was boiled and the potatoes were dried. The combination of high art and simple ingredients was a hallmark of the French chef’s style. His gift, admirers said, was the ability to coax the best out of humble meal components, be they cauliflower or cabbage. His inventiveness earned him a trophy shelf of restaurant and culinary awards, as well as a strong business for his atelier stye of restaurants, including the celebrated L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in New York City. The chef was 73.
Barbara Kafka
Best known as a cookbook writer, Kafka was a child of privilege who also had a hand as a consultant to some of New York City’s most influential restaurants, including Windows on the World, the Four Seasons and Gotham Bar and Grill. She had eaten with her well-to-do parents in many of the country’s most celebrated fine-dining establishments. Yet she championed such democratic efforts in the home kitchen as using a microwave and food processor. Kafka was 84 at the time of her death.
Rusty Staub
An all-star on the baseball field, smacking hits for the Mets and Expos, Staub embarked on a second career after hanging up his glove and spikes, indulging a lifelong love of cooking and food by opening restaurants. His Rusty’s in New York City focused in ribs, a specialty difficult to find at the time, while his Rusty Staub’s on Fifth, billed as a sports bar, boasted what The New York Times described as one of the city’s best wine lists. Staub was a zealous supporter of the Culinary Institute of America and a frequent visitor to the school’s main campus.
See more restaurant luminaries lost this year.
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