Jean BANCHET 1941-2013

November 26, 2013 | Chefs, Lyon

Jean BANCHET 1941-2013Picture 34

It is with great sadness that we learned today of the passing of Jean Banchet.

Banchet was the chef that really got Chicago on the culinary map.  In 1980 his restaurant Le Francais, in Wheeling was named, in 1980, by the Bon Appetit as Best Restaurant in America in 1980. He retired just at the time that the ‘celebrity’ chef was coming in to be being. He never had a TV show, or even a cookbook, he was not a household name but those in the culinary world are in no doubt about Banchet’s importance and influence in the American scene.Jean Banchet was always great fun to talk with.

He had countless great stories about his time in the kitchen, motorcycles, France, or bocce.

He will be greatly missed.