Chef Biography

Jean Banchet was born in 1941, as the first of triplets, in Roanne, France, near Lyon. Roanne was the home of the Troigros brothers’ world class restaurant, where ironically, 13 years later, Jean Banchet would start his first job as Kitchen Boy, or “Plongeur”.

Banchet was working 14 hour days, and Jean and Pierre Troigros encouraged him to transfer to the most famous restaurant in the world at the time, “La Pyramid” in Vienne, France.  Chef Banchet continued his 14 hour daily work habit (one that he maintained until his death), and added a 7th day to his work week, cooking for Madam Point, the owner, on his day off.  At the end of 2 years, he had been promoted 3 times and held the position of “1st Commis”.

At this time, young Banchet decided it was time to pursue a culinary internship, which in France meant working a number of different high quality restaurants in order to gain world class.  He was offered a position by a fellow apprentice, Paul Bocuse, who had just taken over his father’s restaurant.  He then transferred to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, then 3 more restaurants before leaving for Algiers to fulfill his 2 year stint in the French Army as chef to General LaRoux.  Afterwards, he returned to Hotel de Paris as Chef Poissonier, and it was then he grew his famous short mustache and beard.  Six months later, he moved to the Pavillon “Eden Roc” on the French Riviera, as Sous Chef.  He then had an offer to become Executive Chef at the Sporting Club Casino in London.

In 1968, he was enticed to accept an offer from Hugh Hefner and Arnold Morton to open the Lake Geneva Playboy Club in Wisconsin.  Being an Executive Chef was far too sedentary for the energetic Banchet, so he moved to Chicago and opened three restaurants for other chefs including French Master Chef Henri Racouchot (Essex House & Ascot Hotel) and a pastryshop on Rush and Delaware on Chicago’s near north.

After 5 years as a Chicago chef, in 1973 Chef Banchet and his wife Doris, along with French Chef Henry Coudrier, opened Le Français Restaurant in Wheeling Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago.  Within a year, Coudrier’s  ill-health forced him to leave the restaurant, leaving Chef Jean and his wife Doris as sole owners of Le Français.

In 1983, Great Chefs television crew began taping their Great Chefs of Chicago series for PBS, and Chef Jean Banchet was the first chef on the agenda.  It was a little extraordinary because there were all these French Chefs (later to be known as Great Chefs Jean Joho, and René Bajeux) standing around watching Chef Banchet prepare a squab salad; lobster with noodles; roast sweetbreads; noisette of venison and a raspberry soufflé. Little did we know at the time of what was to come.  Bon Appétit named Le Français the Best Restaurant in America.  Chef Jean Banchet retired in 1989 and leased out the restaurant to another Great Chef, Rolland Liccioni.

Banchet consulted, but missed the bustle of the kitchen. Great Chefs became close to the chef and when he announced that he was going to open a restaurant in Atlanta, we set up an appointment to tape him in at his new place to be called La Riviera.  In April 1995, Great Chefs was taping theirGreat Chefs-Great Cities series in Atlanta, but La Riviera was still under construction, so Chef Banchet came to the kitchen of Pano’s & Paul’s whereGreat Chefs was taping, and prepared four more dishes:  a vegetable terrine with lobster; nage of dover sole; chartreuse of squab and a warm apple tart.

In 1999 he returned to Le Français, and in 2001 he officially retired and moved to Jupiter, Florida where he passed away in November 2013, survived by his lovely wife Doris.

There are pages and pages of awards and citations Chef Banchet accumulated over the years.  We will miss him.

Recipes

Roasted Sweetbreads with Belgian Endives and Truffles

Serving: 4 Print Roasted Sweetbreads with Belgian Endives and Truffles By Great Chefs November 15, 2015 Creamy endive sauce studded with truffles coats sauteed sweetbreads. A garnish of fresh endive leaves and watercress adds a little crunch to this silky dish. Note that the chef calls for chicken glaze — chicken stock reduced until it […]

Raspberry Feuilleté

Serving: 4 Print Raspberry Feuilleté By Great Chefs November 15, 2015 Simple and beautiful — golden puff pastry filled with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, set in a pool of caramel. Prepare everything ahead of time, then assemble just before serving. Feuilletés are traditionally savory dishes, using cheese, seafood, or other fillings; Chef Banchet turns […]

Chartreuse of Squab with Confit Cabbage, Baby Turnips, Anna Potatoes, and Juniper Berry Juice

Serving: 4 Print Chartreuse of Squab with Confit Cabbage, Baby Turnips, Anna Potatoes, and Juniper Berry Juice By Great Chefs June 18, 2014 Taped when Jean Banchet was operating his restaurant La Riviera in Atlanta, this dish is a treat for the eye. The perfectly trimmed, brightly colored vegetables demonstrate a bit of this French […]

Warm Apple Tart in Caramel Sauce

Serving: 4 Print Warm Apple Tart in Caramel Sauce By Great Chefs June 18, 2014 Simple perfection, these puff pastry tarts are circled with golden-brown glazed apples and served with warm caramel sauce. Chef Banchet agrees — a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be wonderful with them. Ingredients Almond Cream Topping Sugar – 2/3 […]

Grilled Vegetable Terrine with Lobster and Red Pepper Coulis

Serving: 4 Print Grilled Vegetable Terrine with Lobster and Red Pepper Coulis By Great Chefs June 17, 2014 Beautiful bright colors — red, orange, purple, green, yellow — fill this beautiful terrine. Some of the vegetables are steamed, some grilled, lending even more variety to the flavors encountered. Chef Banchet tops the slices with lobster […]

Nage of Dover Sole Riveria

Serving: 4 Print Nage of Dover Sole Riveria By Great Chefs June 17, 2014 A nage is a dish that begins with cooking shellfish or fish in stock, then serving it with the same stock: it is “swimming,” the origin of the name. Jean Banchet simmers delicate sole in mussel stock with fennel julienne. The […]

Grand Marnier Soufflé

Serving: 2 Print Grand Marnier Soufflé By Great Chefs June 17, 2014 Remember when the very idea of a soufflé seemed difficult? This wonderful orange-scented soufflé is simplicity itself. Have the oven heated and the molds prepared ahead of time. Slip into the kitchen and prepare the batter, then set the soufflés to baking. Within […]

Lobster with Noodles, Basil, and Caviar

Serving: 4 Print Lobster with Noodles, Basil, and Caviar By Great Chefs June 17, 2014 This is a deluxe version of Alfredo. The noodles are covered with a creamy herbed sauce flavored with cognac, sherry, and wine. Lobster medallions drizzled with sauce and caviar circle the noodles. Sauteed tomato dice picks up the color of […]

Squab Salad with Wild Mushrooms and Quail Eggs

Serving: 4 Print Squab Salad with Wild Mushrooms and Quail Eggs By Great Chefs June 17, 2014 These beautiful salads have it all — a mixture of crisp, tasty greens, tender quail slices, fragrant mushrooms, and tiny sunnyside-up quail eggs, drizzled with reduction sauce. A large serving could become a light supper. Ingredients Squabs – […]

Noisette of Venison with Grand-Veneur Sauce

Serving: 4 Print Noisette of Venison with Grand-Veneur Sauce By Great Chefs June 17, 2014 The rich flavors in this dish take time to develop. The venison is marinated in the refrigerator for four days before it is sliced and sauteed. The Grand-Veneur Sauce served with the venison is reduced, and reduced again, and again, […]

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