Top French chef's suicide after guidebook snub

25 February 2003 by
Top French chef's suicide after guidebook snub

One of France's top chefs shot himself dead after his restaurant was downgraded by a food guide, it was suspected last night.

Bernard Loiseau, 52, killed himself because he could not face the damage to his reputation, police believe.

His Cote D'Or restaurant in Saulieu, Burgundy, had been marked down from 19 out of 20 to 17 out of 20 by the French gourmet bible GaultMillau just one week before the apparent suicide.

The father-of-three was found dead in the bedroom of his Saulieu home by wife Dominique on Monday.

Despite the GaultMillau snub, the eaterie still had three stars in the respected Michelin food guide.

But fellow Michelin-starred chef and close friend Paul Bocuse today openly blamed the GaultMillau for Loiseau's death.

He told French news channel LCI: "It was GaultMillau that killed him.

"He was very hurt by what they did. Our reputations are very fragile. When you are at the top of your profession in this job, and suddenly you are brought down, it can hit you very hard."

GaultMillau president Patrick Mayenob denied his guide was to blame. He said: "I don't think our regrading could have caused this tragedy. We still had a very high regard for his culinary skills."

A Burgundy police spokesman added: "We have opened an investigation into the death. We know he took the downgrading very badly, and that could have contributed to the suspected suicide."

Loiseau, who had three other restaurants, was the only chef in France to be listed on the stock exchange as a public company. Shares dipped sharply after his death and trading has now been suspended.

by Ian Sparks

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