LYON: Hundreds of chefs gathered in sou­t­heast France on Friday for the funeral of Paul Bocuse, a pioneering gastronome who shook up the food world in the 1960s and 70s and helped usher in the era of celebrity cooks.

“Monsieur Paul”, known for his flair in the kitchen as well as his showmanship and business sense, died last on Saturday aged 91 after suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

“We all feel a bit like orphans, we thought Monsieur Paul was eternal. His work was eternal,” said Philippe Etchebest, one of the chefs from France and far beyond who wore their kitchen whites in tribute at Lyon’s Saint Jean Cathedral.

“Besides being an artisan, he was an innovator who was able to bring all cooks together. We’ve lost a base, a foundation,” he added.

Bocuse, sometimes dubbed the “pope”, was an architect of the Nouvelle Cuisine revolution which swept away rich and heavy sauces in favour of super-fresh ingredients, sleek aesthetics and innovation. He routinely did his own shopping at the Lyon market, inspecting the produce available and then planning his dishes for the day.

Bocuse’s son Jerome said his father would have preferred a simple ceremony at the small church in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, the village where he ran his most famed restaurant, the three-star L’Auberge.

But “that was not possible” given the huge crowd expected, Jerome Bocuse said.

Two giant screens were installed outside the cathedral for the hundreds of people who braved the rain to attend the ceremony which started at 10:30 am. “I couldn’t imagine not coming. He deserves everybody’s presence,” Jeanine Chanal, an 82-year-old who lives near the church, said.

Bocuse’s casket was borne by pallbearers between rows of top chefs from around the world, representing dozens of Michelin stars, the highest award available in the culinary world. After the ceremony Bocuse will be buried next to his parents at the family’s vault in the cemetery at Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, where Bocuse turned his father’s modest inn into an international destination for foodies.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2018