Raymond Blanc

• 19 Sep 18:35
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Raymond Blanc OBE (born 19 November 1949) is a French chef, born in Besançon, France. He is a self-taught chef. Today he is one of the country's most respected chefs. Blanc is the owner and chef at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a hotel-restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and scored 9/10 in the Good Food Guide. Born in Besançon, the capital of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, between Burgundy and the Jura mountains, Raymond was inspired by the local terroir, and most of all by his mother, the formidable Maman Blanc who used fresh, local and seasonal produce to produce meals for her family.

Beginning as a waiter, Blanc became a chef at The Rose Revived in Oxfordshire before opening his first restaurant called Les Quat'Saisons in Summertown, Oxford. He is entirely self-taught.

In 1977 Raymond and his wife Jenny opened their first restaurant, Les Quat' Saisons in Oxford. They put together all their meagre savings and mortgaged their house to raise the cash. Les Quat' Saisons was an overnight success, winning him Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year, prestigious Michelin stars and a host of other distinctions.

In 1981, Blanc...

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