RIP: Michel Richard

Chef Michel Richard died. His restaurant Central is one that I took out of town guests or other friends to when I needed somewhere nice but not too formal.

When I volunteered at the Smithsonian's Seafood Sustainability event during my unemployment, I was tasked to look after him for the evening book signings. The line for Alton Brown was vast. Maybe three people came up to Chef Richard's table and only one bought a book (I was too broke, sadly). For 45 minutes we talked about his time in Belgium and what it had taught him about food. We discussed restaurants we'd both eaten at and what made the Belgian approach different from the French approach and I don't know what all. We went back and forth on language spoken as one or the other of us groped for a word a reverted to our own tongue, but I just remember that fairly brief meeting as one of genuine kindness.

With my first paycheck, several months later, I took myself and a friend to Central for dinner. It was lovely.

Here are his books:
Happy in the Kitchen,

Sweet Magic

and
Home Cooking with a French Accent which is only available second hand.