Michel Roux Sr, the chef’s chef, who along with his brother Albert brought French classical cuisine to the UK in the 1960s, first with Le Gavroche and then the Waterside Inn, has died.
He was born 19 April 1941 to a feckless father, a third generation charcutier, who abandoned his family young. Michel, aged 14, followed his elder brother into the food business, starting as a pâtissier and moving on to chef for one of the Rothschild family.
The two brothers started Le Gavroche in the last 1960s, with their signature dishes of souffles and an insistence on proper attire, ties and suits for the male diners. Other restaurants followed, and twenty years later they split the business with the respective sons of each taking over.
Michael Roux Sr, was a charming and go-ahead Sun Venus in Aries with three planets in indulgent Taurus – Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus – with his Saturn square Mars in Aquarius – ultra-determined and a quixotic mix of adventurous from Uranus Jupiter and used-to-hardship Mars Saturn.
His elder brother Albert, 8 October 1935, is a Sun Libra with a publicity-attracting Mars in Sagittarius square Neptune and a confident Jupiter in Scorpio trine Pluto. Both brothers shared an Aquarius Moon.
Michael Roux Jnr, Albert’s son, born 23 May 1960, took over Le Gavroche. He’s a Sun Gemini square Pluto with Mars in pro-active Aries and Moon Venus in Taurus; and his Pluto is in a confident trine to Jupiter in money-magnet Capricorn. His Mars is trine Uranus and square Jupiter, so adventurous and a risk-taker.
Alain Roux, Michel Sr’s son, took over the Waterside Inn, and he’s a self-reliant Sun and Saturn in Aries with Mars also in Aries; a flamboyant Jupiter in Leo; and a charming Venus in Pisces opposition Pluto.
And so it rolls down the generations – food is the family business.