London's final outpost of fine dining French cuisine will be closing its doors in January "But this isn't the end of Le Gavroche: the name will live on, as will the Roux dynasty," emphasized Chef Michel Roux Jr, intending to focus on family while announcing a series of dinners and events.
The news
It has been one of the UK's most important restaurants, paving the way for fine dining under a proudly French banner and contributing to the training of a generation of culinary superstars: Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White, to name a few. However, the time for the glorious Le Gavroche to close has also arrived. Chef Michel Roux Jr, heir of a stellar dynasty, has just announced it.
Considered by critics as the "last bastion of French fine dining" in London, the restaurant will serve its last meal in the coming month of January, for more personal than professional reasons. The chef intends to devote more time to his family. "Le Gavroche means so much, not only to me and the Roux family, but to the entire team and our guests who over the years have become like family."
"The expiration of the current lease has given me the opportunity to assess the future, and it is my hope that the restaurant closes on a high note. It's about turning the page and moving forward, so I can focus on my family and other professional experiences." To this end, the chef is already organizing a packed schedule of evenings and events celebrating the history of an authentic institution. "This isn't the end of Le Gavroche; the restaurant may close, but the name will continue to live on, just like the Roux dynasty."
The founders were two brothers from Saône-et-Loire, who chose Britain to test their talents. Albert, a pastry chef and cook at the British Embassy in Paris, crossed the Channel in 1957, soon followed by his younger brother Michel, already the chef for Cécile de Rothschild. In 1967, their Gavroche took shape, with Albert in the kitchen and Michel in the dining room, later relocating in 1981 to its current Upper Brook Street location. It earned a Michelin star in 1974, the country's first, doubled in 1977, and tripled in 1982, another milestone across the Channel. It has been led since 1991 by Albert's son, Michel Roux Jr, now sixty-three, who lost the third star in 1993.
Cover photo: @Daniel Hambury- Stella Pictures Ltd
