The Great One...

I will never forget my all-too-brief encounter with the late Jean-Louis Palladin. It was right before he succumbed to cancer and at such a difficult moment in his life, he actually found the time to talk with me. I was impressed with this man, and I was well aware how difficult he could be because I knew several chefs that worked with him. He was a perfectionist when it came to food, and it was well accepted that thankfully, the great chef was a very different man when away from his kitchen. For about forty-five minutes, he was as courteous and interesting as any chef that I have ever spoken with.

Jean-Louis was worried about our (American) food culture even though he felt things were improving. I fully realize that we all have more things to worry about than how America eats, but for whatever reason, I share his concerns. I’m not suggesting that it has reached the category of obsession, but if an icon such as Jean-Louis Palladin was worried, than there has to some justification to be concerned.

I have come to believe that the American chefs have caught-up with their European counterparts and have even surpassed them. When Chef Palladin arrived in Washington, DC in 1979 he was horrified to find the frozen chicken and the frozen lobster and the snails in a can. He could not believe that we were light-years behind the food culture of his homeland. The good chef was instrumental in helping to change our way of thinking about food for the better because he refused to accept anything less than the best. In my mind, our restaurants are better than ever, but our nation's overall approach to food is more frightening than it needs to be.

If we ever create a Hall of Fame for chefs, I would nominate Jean-Louis Palladin. He was something special and our industry was robbed so prematurely of a great leader and a great man.

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