French culinary establishment pays tribute to deceased chef Benoit Violier

PARIS - The French culinary world, gathered for the launch of the latest edition of the Michelin guide on Monday (February 1), paid tribute to Benoit Violier, the chef found dead at his home last week in an apparent suicide.

The conference began with a minute of silence to remember the three-starred Michelin chef, who ran the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near the Swiss city of Lausanne. Swiss police said Violier appeared to have shot himself.

The International Director for the Michelin guides, Michael Ellis, who met the deceased chef, said his death was a great loss to the world of gastronomy.

"Benoit Violier was a brilliant chef, he trained a large number of young chefs and we are thinking of his family, his team and the whole world of gastronomy today, we're all sad, all in mourning," he said.

The Michelin star is a mark of distinction awarded by the Michelin travel guides to a restaurant in recognition of the high quality of its cooking. Violier's restaurant held three stars.

The pressure to maintain high standards is intense, Ludovic Kientz, a French chef who works at the one-starred Au Crocodile restaurant in Strasbourg, told Reuters TV.

"The rhythm is hard to maintain because it's like playing a football match but twice a day, five days a week. So we must be consistent, from when we open on Tuesday lunchtime until Saturday evening, all customers have the same requirements when they come to us and we owe it to ourselves to serve the same quality," he said.

The 44 year-old Violier took over the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in 2012 with his wife Brigitte following the retirement of his mentor, Swiss culinary giant Philippe Rochat.

In 2013, Violier was named Chef of the Year by the Gault & Millau guide and in December his restaurant was named the best of 1,000 top eateries across 48 countries ranked by France's La Liste. — Reuters