Chef Michel Lorain, formerly the head of the restaurant La Côte Saint-Jacques, in Joigny, in Yonne, died Thursday July 22 at the age of 87, announced on Facebook his son, Jean-Michel Lorain.
“Papa left us!” What to say after that, words are in vain! The throats are tight but I will try to open my heart to you and share our pain with you ”, he wrote on the social network on Friday, with the account of the restaurant Relais et Châteaux La Côte Saint-Jacques. “Daddy will have run through his life… 87 full and entire years ”, adds the chef, who describes a father “Always attentive and benevolent, but also without concession”.
A third star awarded in 1986
Michel Lorain had taken over the Côte Saint-Jacques, a restaurant founded by his mother in Joigny in 1958, and had won his first star in the Michelin guide in 1971. The second will arrive in 1976. With his son, Jean-Michel, by his side, he obtained the third star in 1986. The chef retired in 1993. The Côte Saint-Jacques, still managed by Jean-Michel Lorain, is currently classified two stars and also holds the green star, which rewards the alliance of gastronomy and sustainability.
The former chef of the Elysee kitchens Guillaume Gomez addressed on Twitter his “Sincere condolences to the whole Lorain family and to the teams”. Chef Michel Sarran, meanwhile, shared a photo on Instagram where he appears alongside Mr. Lorain, one of the ” those who [l]‘built “.
The mayor of Joigny, Nicolas Soret (PS), welcomed on Facebook a “Ambassador of French gastronomy [qui] will have been his life during an ambassador of [sa] city ”. “Michel Lorain will be missed by Joigny, who will long remain marked by his imprint”, he wrote.