Charles Barrier

‘That is a story of Saint-Exupéry,’ says Charles Barrier. ‘One must always analyse the spirit in which any act is done.’ The spirit of Barrier is a very different one from that of all the other members of the bande à Bocuse. Apart from Thuilier, who stands alone, Barrier is the oldest of the chefs in this book. He belongs, in the circumstances of his upbringing and training, to the times when all but the greatest chefs were little regarded. While he welcomes the changes that have come over the world of gastronomy, they came too late to help him. He reached the pinnacle by a harder route, one which has left its mark on him. Now that the battle for the status of chefs is won, he looks at the world with a kind of embittered tolerance.