Paul Bocuse obituary

Colossus of French cooking dedicated to promoting his country’s cuisine

For many people around the world, Paul Bocuse, who has died aged 91, was the incarnation of French gastronomy, a colossus of haute cuisine. He was among the first chefs to understand the value of publicity, and was a tireless promoter of French food and of his own restaurant, L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, near Lyon.

Bocuse travelled the world making guest appearances, pronouncing on matters culinary and gastronomic. He even posed nude for the French magazine Lui to celebrate his 60th birthday. When he was made a chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1975, he named what became one of his best known dishes, soupe aux truffes noires VGE, after President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing to mark the occasion. However, Bocuse would not have been able to achieve this degree of public influence if he had not been such a superb chef.