Sad good-bye
Stephanie Curtis reports.
| More 'Front Burner' articles in this issue |
| Mango madness |
| Coming of age |
| Coup de foie gras |
| The summer of Slow Food |
| The real thing |
| A final toast |
Alsace, France—Paul Haeberlin, one of the most enduring and endearing figures of French gastronomy, died on May 10 at the age of 84, following a long illness. Cofounder, with his brother Jean-Pierre, of the renowned Auberge de L'Ill in the Alsatian town of Illhaeusern, Paul Haeberlin and his team, now headed by his son Marc, have maintained the ultimate three-star rating of the prestigious Michelin guide for 41 years, a rare achievement. Only one other French chef, Paul Bocuse, a great friend of the Haeberlins, holds a slightly longer triple-star record.
Born in 1923, first son of a family of restaurateurs operating a popular cafe, L'Arbre Vert, near a bridge over the Ill river since 1882, the young Paul apprenticed in nearby Ribeauvillé with Edouard Weber, the last chef of the Russian Czar Nicholas II. In 1940, when the family restaurant was destroyed along with the neighboring bridge, Paul joined the French resistance, while his brother Jean-Pierre was forced into service for the German army.
After the end of the Second World War, the two brothers decided to rebuild on the ruins of the ancestral restaurant, with the ambition of making their new venture, baptized L'Auberge de L'Ill, one of Europe's great tables. With the talented Paul behind the stoves simmering up dishes such as his famous mousseline de grenouille (frog's legs mousseline) and homard Prince Bladimir, and Jean-Pierre, a graduate of Strasbourg's decorative arts school, responsible for decorating and running the dining room, the address soon came to the attention of gastronomes, near and far, including the inspectors of the Michelin guide. They won a first Michelin star in 1952, a second in 1957, and the third in 1967.
Today, Paul's son Marc, the fourth generation to cook in this idyllic riverside setting, continues the family history, producing a modern cuisine inspired by tradition and that continues to attract gastronomes from around the world.
