The Living Legend of Lyon
It’s not often that you get a chance to meet with a legend, but we’re going to have that chance in Lyon.
Lyon, halfway between Paris in the north and Provence in the south. Lyon, the place Anthony Bourdain calls the culinary capital of France and perhaps the world. Lyon, where you find restaurant Pierre Orsi.
Of all the 504 one-star chefs in France, Pierre Orsi has perhaps the most accolades and achievements. He’s certainly the oldest at 75 (born in 1939), he’s had a Michelin star the longest (since 1977) and he’s seen more talented young chefs pass through his kitchen than trains through the Gare du Nord.
Creating the Legend
Pierre Orsi is undoubtably a legend. But to become a legend he had to learn from a legend, and he apprenticed with one as a young man – Chef Paul Bocuse. This was in 1956, when many of today’s one-star chefs weren’t even a glimmer in their grandparents’ eyes.
“I was the son of a hotelier and restaurateur and not a very good pupil so I was sent quite young on an apprenticeship some kilometres away from the family restaurant, to a man called Bocuse. There were four of us as apprentices. The demands, the perfection, the sureness of touch, the rigour of Chef Paul motivated us and gave us the courage to continue in this profession.
“It was physically hard and Paul Bocuse let nothing pass. I was scared of him. That's how I became a cook!”
After his rigorous apprenticeship with Bocuse, young Pierre continued his training in the best kitchens in Paris at Lucas-Carton and Maxim’s (when they both had three stars). Then like most legends he left his native land for adventures – a decade of work in England, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Pierre Orsi returned to France a wiser and more experienced man and chef. His talent secured, he was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1972, the highest distinction a craftsman can attain. By 1975 he was ready to go it alone. He opened his restaurant on Place Kleber in Lyon. The first Michelin star was awarded in 1977 and a second not long after.
Spreading the Legend
Unlike Bocuse and other famous chefs, Orsi didn’t go the way of multiple restaurants in Hong Kong, New York, Las Vegas. Pierre Orsi believes in the rigours of the kitchen, in educating young chefs, in creating a life centred around his family and his restaurant in Lyon.
Orsi has trained so many chefs who have gone on to fame of their own that it’s impossible to list them all. There are numerous one-star chefs in and around Lyon who honed their chef’s knives in Orsi’s kitchen. Others are scattered across the globe –
Axel Wagner from Chateau Eza on the Cote d’Azur
Gianluca Re Fraschini at the chic resort Eden Roc at Cap Cana Dominican Republic
Nico Romo a native of Lyon and now executive chef at Fish Restaurant in Charleston, North Carolina
Lyon native Rolland Passot, owner of Left Bank, a small chain of French brasseries in Northern California
Federica Muggenburg, executive chef at Hotel Bethlehem’s 1741 on the Terrace in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Michael Lachowicz at Club Allure a “gentleman’s club” in Chicago
Caterer Larry Jones in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
And the list goes on.
A Legendary Gathering
When his only daughter Celine was married a few years ago, the entire Place Kleber (where restaurant Orsi is located) was cordoned off for the 500 guests. Pierre, dressed in his chef’s whites made the rounds shaking hands while his jolly sommelier trailed behind pouring Moët & Chandon. Guests were served century-old wine, foie gras, truffles, caviar and magnums of champagne for three days straight.
French celebrities and chefs including renowned chef Daniel Bouloud (a native of Lyon), Michelin star chef Mathieu Viannay, the mayor of Lyon and Paul Bocuse’s wife, Raymonde, smiled into the camera next to Pierre and his wife Genevieve.
In the 1990s Pierre Orsi dropped back down to one Michelin star, and has retained that since. When asked if he was still chasing stars, the soft-spoken chef said, “At my age now, I have a certain peace, quietude, tranquility. I prefer to be a very good one star, rather than a medium two star. So, no, I tell you categorically, it’s a long time since that idea entered my mind. I’m not looking for more honours. But, I am perfectly at peace professionally and happy as I am.”
Restaurant Pierre Orsi
3 Place Kléber
69006 Lyon
