Claude Troisgros
Troisgros
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hailed by critics as one of the outstanding new chefs to arrive on the Brazilian restaurant scene, Claude Troisgros thinks his success was fated: ‚“I always knew what I would be when I grew up,‚” he explains.

Claude Troisgros has cooking in his blood ‚Äì literally in the genes. His father Pierre and uncle Jean founded the celebrated Troisgros of Roanne where Claude was turning out a perfect beurre blanc when most children were learning the alphabet. ‚“I was raised in the kitchen,‚” he says.

At 16 Troisgros went to the Hotel School of Thonon-les-Bains and on to an apprenticeship with Paul Bocuse. Years before, Bocuse, a family friend, had made seven-year-old Claude sign a ‚“contract‚” stipulating that his first job would be at Bocuse´ restaurant. Troisgros spent several years working in Europe´s most celebrated kitchens, including Taillevent in Paris, the Connaught in London, and Tantris in Munich, with stops at Troisgros between jobs. When Gaston Lenotre offered him a position as chef at his restaurant Pre-Catalan in Rio de Janeiro, Troisgros jetted off to Brazil with a two-year contract. Once there, he fell in love with a country — and with Marlene Pereira da Silva, who became his wife. In Brazil he began to use tropical ingredients, localizing his family´s signature French cuisine. He even launched Roanne, his first solo restaurant venture, across the street from the city´s open-air market. Word quickly spread, leading to the elegant but informal restaurant Claude Troisgros. Trendsetters and power brokers made it their new dining spot; critics applauded. Troisgros followed with another Roanne in Sao Paulo, and a cookbook, Da Cabeca a Panela (‚“from the head to the saucepan‚”).

Claude Troisgros´ C.T./Claude Troisgros in Manhattan was the first culinary venture in the U.S. for a member of the Troisgros family. ‚“Something acidic, something crispy, and something green,‚” he says, in every dish. Troisgros quickly won over the likes of Ruth Reichl of the New York Times, who awarded him three stars. Troisgros, of course, became a member of the James Beard Foundation, and looked to Miami for his next spot, Blue Door. Rio, however, is his home. Rio, and the three-star Claude Troisgros restaurant. It is in Rio that he has already left his imprint on the country´s culinary style and scene. He is consulting chef for the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro as well as for La Tavola d´Oro, a restaurant in Aracaju. He is an active member of Brazil´s most prominent culinary associations, including The Brazilian Association of Restaurant Owners, The Hotel, Bar, & Restaurant Trade Association of Rio de Janeiro, and the National Brazilian Association of Haute Cuisine. He also serves as a distinguished member of the jury of the School of French Haute Cuisine, and the jury for the Pinhao Cooking Contest in Rio.

In my work as a chef, the principles of ingredient-driven sustainable food were espoused early in my career. Also, by working in Europe and Asia, where the food culture demands this type of behavior, your values and standards are raised. … Around the same time Saturday another key player in that intrigue, Rick Bayless will be doing cooking demos along with Gale Gand, Paul Virant and Paul Kahan. “Drinking Farm to Glass” and “Backyard Chickens” are just two more of the …