The Story of Pierre Troisgros: Fifty-Two Years of Three Michelin Stars and the Dish That Changed Everything

In the late 1940s, three young cooks worked side by side in the kitchen of La Pyramide under Fernand Point: Paul Bocuse and two brothers, Jean and Pierre Troisgros. Bocuse became the most famous chef in France. The brothers went home to Roanne, an industrial town in the Loire, and built a restaurant in a hotel directly opposite the railway station that held three Michelin stars for fifty-two consecutive years. Along the way they created the dish many food historians point to as the moment nouvelle cuisine stopped being a theory and became a revolution: a thin escalope of salmon, fifteen seconds a side in a non-stick pan, with a sauce of cream, vermouth, shallots and sorrel from their mother's garden. It was greeted with hostility at first. A decade later, it was the embodiment of a movement. This episode tells the full story of Pierre Troisgros, from his childhood in a Burgundy café family and his training under Point to his partnership with Jean, the three stars won in 1968, the tasting menu he brought back from China, the loss of his brother in 1983, and the four generations of the family still cooking at three stars today. And yes, he really did play gin rummy in the dining room while lunch guests finished their petits fours. Fabulously Delicious is the podcast for anyone who loves French food, French culinary history and the lives behind the dishes. If Pierre's story moved you, a rating and review makes an enormous difference to how many people find the show. Subscribe for the rest of the French chefs series, and find full video episodes on YouTube and extras on Substack. As Fabulously Delicious steps into its sixth year, one thing is clearer than ever: five years of French food culture has taught Andrew that the subject is genuinely inexhaustible. My book Paris: A Fabulous Food Guide to the World’s Most Delicious City is your ultimate companion. This is a new 2026 update for the book and you’ll find hand-picked recommendations for the best boulangeries, patisseries, wine bars, cafés, and restaurants that truly capture the flavor of Paris. You can order it online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠andrewpriorfabulously.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  You can help keep the show thriving by becoming a paid subscriber on substack where you'll also get fabulous extra content. Every contribution makes a huge difference. Join here at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merci beaucoup! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #PierreTroisgros #NouvelleCuisine #MichelinStars #FrenchCuisine #FoodPodcast