Bocuse, Paul

1926- He was born on the 11th day of February in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or near Lyon. He considered one of the finest cooks of the 20th century.

1945 - He takes part in the Victory March in Paris then, on return to his region he continues his apprenticeship at La Mère Brasier situated at the col of La Luère, where he looks after the garden , milks the cows, does the washing , the ironing and of course the cooking.

1950 - He completes his apprenticeship, having learnt the refinements dear to his master, and inheriting among others, the enormous generosity of the latter, which, in his time was an exceptional character.

1961 – He gains his first star in the Michelin: he transforms his father's suburban cafe and gains a two star rating one year later.

1972 – He is one of the most prominent chefs associated with the nouvelle cuisine (the term was first used in a newspaper article), which is less opulent and high-calorie than the traditional haute cuisine, and stresses the importance of fresh ingredients of the highest quality.

1975 – He created the world famous soupe aux truffes (truffle soup) for a presidential dinner at the Elysée Palace.

1976 – He wrote his first cooking book "La Cuisine du marche" in this year.

1980 – He wrote "La Journee du cuisinier."

1987 - He creates the first worldwide competition of cuisine, "Bocuse d'Or".

1989 – He was elected as the “Chef of the Century" by Gault and Millau.

1990 – He wrote "Cuisine de France."

1997 – He presents his best wishes on CD-ROM.

1999 - He breaks new ground again by sending his greetings throughout the world thanks to the Web.