Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals.

Michel Roux Jr. took over the kitchen at Le Gavroche in 1991 and remains the current head chef as of 2007. Under his stewardship, Le Gavroche has retained two Michelin stars and has been consistently placed in Restaurant’s Top 50.

Roux has made various television appearances, including on his friend Gordon Ramsay’s ITV1 produced ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, and as an expert judge on BBC2’s professional edition of ‘Masterchef’.

As a keynote speaker Michel shares with his audiences his personal story focusing on coping with the high pressure demands of a restaurateur balanced with a healthy lifestyle. His personal story of how he took on the family business and the extreme pressure he was under to maintain the quality and reputation the restaurant had generated under his father, makes for fascinating listening.

A lover of alcohol, Roux doesn’t drink between Monday and Friday, but enjoys Krug champagne on the weekend. He is an honorary member of Harlequin F.C. and is a keen marathon runner, completing his nineteenth marathon in 2014, to raise funds for VICTA, a charity supporting visually impaired children.

 

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