Alain Chapel

Who was Alain Chapel?

Alain Chapel was a French Michelin 3 starred chef, credited with being one of the originators of Nouvelle Cuisine.

Chapel was born in Lyon, the son of Maître d' Charles and his wife Eva. At the outbreak of World War II, the family moved to the village of Mionnay 12 miles outside the city, where his father opened a bistro called La Mere Charles in an old coaching inn surrounded by lush gardens.

Alain started his training in the kitchen of the family bistro, and in French chef-training tradition spent time seconded to the local shops, developing his understanding of ingredients. After then training with Fernand Point at his restaurant "La Pyramide" in Vienne, Isère, Chapel returned to the family bistro and in 1967 gained the now restaurant its first Michelin star. After taking over the restaurant in 1970 on the death of his father, he converted the inn to a hotel and renamed it in his own name. In 1973, Chapel gained his third Michelin star, then one of only 19 restaurants all in France which had ever then gained the honour.

Chapel's signature dishes included stuffed calves' ears with fried parsley, truffle-stuffed chicken tightly enveloped in a pork bladder and cooked in a rich chicken broth. Food critic Craig Claiborne writing for The New York Times in 1977 described Chapel's gateau de foies blonds as "his ultimate triumph" and "one of the absolute cooking glories of this generation". According to the Gault Millau Guide to France: "A meal at Chapel's restaurant was like a symphony."