Éric Frechon leaves the Bristol

The announcement was carefully guarded, and sent shockwaves through the microcosm of French chefs. After 25 years of loyal service at theHôtel Bristolchef Éric Frechon has decided to extinguish the flame in the kitchen of his three-starred restaurant l’Épicure. Heading up the kitchens of 114 Faubourg, Café Antonia, room service and the hotel’s banquets, his last service will be held on April 15. “I would never have imagined achieving the record for the longest tenure of a chef at the head of a palace,” he declared on the front page of Le Figaro. We’ll remember the exceptional macaroni stuffed with black truffle, artichoke and duck foie gras au gratin with aged Parmesan, jus with truffle fragments, and the Bresse poularde cooked in a bladder with supremes cooked in yellow wine, royale and giblet bonbons, the thighs gilded on the barbecue and a black truffle market garden salad on the side. With his successor yet to be announced, we wish this talented chef all the best for the future.