Michel Richard
Encyclopedia
Michel Richard is a French-born chef, and is formerly the owner of the restaurant Citrus in Los Angeles
. He currently owns the award-winning restaurant, Citronelle
in Georgetown
and Carmel
, and Central in Las Vegas, NV and Washington, D.C.
in March, 1948 and raised in Champagne
. He learned to cook when he was age 7. At the age of 9, he participated in the French equivalent of the Fresh Air Fund
.
Having been told that, if he wanted to be a chef, he first needed to learn to be a pastry chef, by age 14, he was an apprentice baker at a hotel in Reims
. After serving in the French Army he worked at the bakery, Maison Lenotre, in Paris
under French pastry chef Gaston Lenotre
. He opened Lenotre's short-lived New York branch, Chateau France, then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico
, to run The French Pastry Shop at La Fonda Hotel.
In 1977 he was in Los Angeles, where he opened another Michel Richard Pastry Shop. He used the profits to eat in France's three-star restaurants, and solidifying his desire to move beyond pastry, and to train himself to be a chef over the next ten years.
In 1987 he opened the restaurant, Citrus in Los Angeles. Satellites of Citrus were opened in Santa Barbara, Baltimore, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C, all of which eventually closed. In 1997, he sold half of his interest in the restaurant to Meristar Corporation, which is also his partner in Citronelle.
In 1989 A year later, Richard opened Citronelle, in the Santa Barbara Inn Hotel in Santa Barbara
. He later opened Bistro M in San Francisco, and Citronelle in Baltimore
and Philadelphia. In 1994, he opened Citronelle in The Latham Hotel in Georgetown. Later, he opened a branch of Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel
, California. Ten years later, he opened Central in Washington DC.
• Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking the Art of Eating, Artisan , (October 2006) ISBN 9781579652999
(Episodes 103 and 304)
• How to Cook Everything; Bittman Takes on America's Chefs
(Episode 108)
• Great Chefs – Great Cities
(Episodes 40, 62, and 76)
• Chef's Story
(Episode 111)
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He currently owns the award-winning restaurant, Citronelle
Michel Richard Citronelle
Michel Richard Citronelle is an American restaurant located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. in the Latham Hotel. The chef and owner of Michel Richard Citronelle is Michel Richard, who received a James Beard Foundation Award in 2007 for Outstanding Chef....
in Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
and Carmel
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
, and Central in Las Vegas, NV and Washington, D.C.
Biography
Mr. Richard was born in BrittanyBrittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
in March, 1948 and raised in Champagne
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
. He learned to cook when he was age 7. At the age of 9, he participated in the French equivalent of the Fresh Air Fund
Fresh Air Fund
The Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency that provides free summer vacations in the country to New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through the Friendly Town...
.
Having been told that, if he wanted to be a chef, he first needed to learn to be a pastry chef, by age 14, he was an apprentice baker at a hotel in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
. After serving in the French Army he worked at the bakery, Maison Lenotre, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
under French pastry chef Gaston Lenotre
Gaston Lenôtre
Gaston Lenôtre was a French pastry chef and caterer.-Biography:Lenôtre was born in Normandy, France. His mother, Éléonore, was one of the first women chefs in Paris during the 1900s, and was the chef of the Rothschild family...
. He opened Lenotre's short-lived New York branch, Chateau France, then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, to run The French Pastry Shop at La Fonda Hotel.
In 1977 he was in Los Angeles, where he opened another Michel Richard Pastry Shop. He used the profits to eat in France's three-star restaurants, and solidifying his desire to move beyond pastry, and to train himself to be a chef over the next ten years.
In 1987 he opened the restaurant, Citrus in Los Angeles. Satellites of Citrus were opened in Santa Barbara, Baltimore, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C, all of which eventually closed. In 1997, he sold half of his interest in the restaurant to Meristar Corporation, which is also his partner in Citronelle.
In 1989 A year later, Richard opened Citronelle, in the Santa Barbara Inn Hotel in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. He later opened Bistro M in San Francisco, and Citronelle in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and Philadelphia. In 1994, he opened Citronelle in The Latham Hotel in Georgetown. Later, he opened a branch of Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
, California. Ten years later, he opened Central in Washington DC.
Books
• Michel Richard's Home Cooking with a French Accent, Morrow, NY (January 1, 1993) ASIN: B001XGZ1Q8• Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking the Art of Eating, Artisan , (October 2006) ISBN 9781579652999
Television
• Baking with JuliaBaking With Julia
Baking With Julia is an American television cooking program produced by Julia Child and the name of the book which accompanied the series. Each episode featured one pastry chef or baker who demonstrates professional techniques that can be performed in a home kitchen...
(Episodes 103 and 304)
• How to Cook Everything; Bittman Takes on America's Chefs
How to Cook Everything
How To Cook Everything is a general cooking reference written by New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and aimed at United States home cooks...
(Episode 108)
• Great Chefs – Great Cities
Great Chefs
Great Chefs is a franchise of cooking shows and cookbooks that began with thirteen half hour programs produced for the American Public Broadcasting Service entitled Great Chefs of New Orleans...
(Episodes 40, 62, and 76)
• Chef's Story
Chef's Story
Chef's Story is a 26-Part Public Television series featuring Dorothy Cann Hamilton interviewing well known chefs and restaurateurs.Hamilton, founder and CEO of The French Culinary Institute, conducts the interviews in front of culinary students in the first half of each episode.Each chef then moves...
(Episode 111)