L'Esprit Chapel

The great French chef Alain Chapel died in 1990 at only 53 years old, having been at the forefront of the Nouvelle Cuisine movement alongside Paul Bocuse, Michel Guerard, and the Troisgros brothers.

Chapel had first trained under his father in the family restaurant, and later under Fernand Point at Le Pyramide. Through Chapel’s own kitchen would pass the likes of Alain Ducasse, Michel Roux, Jr. and Bill Telepan.

At the time of his sudden death, Chapel left behind a single cookbook, only erratically available in subsequent years (and never translated into English).

L’esprit Chapel is a tribute to this great, influential chef. Written with access to the chef’s kitchen notebooks, pages from which are reproduced here, and supplemented by reminiscences from family, friends, and colleagues, including Phillipe Jousse, his successor at Restaurant Alain Chapel, it is full of candid photographs, notes on plating, wine lists, and letters from appreciative diners. 

There are also 35 recipes, never previously published, which round out this tribute.

In French. Color photographs throughout. Paperback.