Paul Haeberlin

Who was Paul Haeberlin?

Paul Haeberlin was a French chef and restaurateur. He was the owner of Auberge de l’Ill, a classical French restaurant, which was first awarded a 3-star Michelin Rating in 1967 and continues to be one of the oldest 3-star establishments in France. His restaurant has served as a school for many of the world's premier French chefs, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys.

Haeberlin was born in the village of Illhaeusern in the Alsace region of France. His grandparents had opened a small inn and cafe in the town, called L’Arbre Vert, in 1878. He became an apprentice at the Hôtel de la Pépinière in Ribeauvillé, France, when he was just 14 years old. He next moved to Paris where he worked in restaurants such as Poccardi and Rôtisserie Périgourdine.

Haeberlin had to give up cooking during World War II when he was drafted into the French army. His family's inn, L’Arbre Vert was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1945 near the end of the war. The family rebuilt it after World War II, renaming the restaurant Auberge de l’Ill.

Paul Haeberlin and his brother, Jean-Pierre Haeberlin, a decorative artist, oversee operations of the new restaurant.