Memories of Gascony

Dedicated to Timothy Shaw, a true friend and inspiration

Pierre Koffmann has been at the heart of fine cuisine in Britain for over forty years. After working as a young chef in Strasbourg and Toulon, Koffmann arrived in London in 1970 to work under Michel and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche. In 1972 he was made the first head chef of the Roux brothers’ new venture, the Waterside Inn at Bray. When Pierre and his late wife Annie opened La Tante Claire in 1977, it was the start of a residency at the top of the London culinary world that would span four decades. Within six years of opening, La Tante Claire had its third Michelin star, setting new standards for cooking and creating extraordinary dishes from classically simple ingredients, while also serving as an academy for many of today’s culinary superstars. Between them his various protégés now boast over twenty Michelin stars in their own right.