Michel Roux, Sr., Speaks
to Graduates with Protégés in Attendance
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – Fifteen top chefs from the United
Kingdom were all at Ѹ on November 7,
when their mentor Michel Roux, Sr. delivered the commencement address
at the college. Chef Roux is the owner of The Waterside Inn in Bray,
England, and
proprietor of La Maison 1888 in Da Nang, Vietnam. He and
his brother Albert are considered the godfathers of modern UK
restaurant cuisine.
To mark the occasion, 15 British chefs now working in England,
Scotland, Ireland, and Japan—including six who hold stars in the Michelin Guide—joined Chef Roux at the Ѹ.
Fourteen are recipients of the Roux Scholarship, in which young chefs from the UK
and Australia earn experience in a Michelin three-star restaurant anywhere in the world. The other was Chef Roux’s son Alain,
who holds three-stars as the chef patron of The Waterside Inn. In fact, Michel Roux
estimates that half of the chefs in the UK who hold Michelin stars worked for him or his brother at some point.
“The legacy of which I’m most proud is here with me today. I’m
bursting with pride,” said Chef Roux. “If I have inspired them, I have received
even greater inspiration in return.”
The French-born Roux then shared his advice for the day’s graduates.
“You have received a fantastic education by now. As you
go forth to spread your wings, remember your time is limited, so do not waste a
second trying to be anyone else than yourself,” Roux said. “Be in love with what
you do. Be passionate or do not bother.”
The full .
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Images
Photo 1 (top photo): Michel Roux, Sr. delivers the commencement address at The Culinary Institute of
America in Hyde Park, NY on November 7, 2014. (Photo credit: Al Nowak/Ѹ)
Photo 2: Michel
Roux, Sr. (center, with cordon and medallion) and 15 of his protégés
joined Ѹ
deans and Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Sperling (far
left) for a tour of campus following commencement ceremonies at the
college on November 7, 2014. Chef Roux delivered the keynote address
to
graduates. (Photo credit: Ѹ/Phil Mansfield)
Founded in 1946, Ѹ is an independent, not-for-profit
college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in culinary arts,
baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, as well as certificate
programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world's premier
culinary college, the Ѹ provides thought leadership in the areas of health &
wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines & cultures through research and
conferences. The Ѹ has a network of 46,000 alumni that includes industry leaders
such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain,
Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The Ѹ also
offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services
in support of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college
has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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