Cheesed off chef’s plea falls flat

As a top chef, Marc Veyrat surely knows that the moment a soufflé — derived from the French word for ‘puffed’ — comes out of the oven, it begins to deflate.

No matter how well egg whites (and sentiments) are whipped up, success depends not merely on the degree of heat but also the quality and quantity of its constituent elements. So, it is not at all surprising that his heated attack on the anonymous judges of the Michelin Guide for casting aspersions on the composition of his fabled soufflé could not stand up in court.

Only a French chef would get so cheesed off at the mere suggestion (apparently by one Michelin judge) that his three-starred restaurant used English cheddar in its soufflé instead of Reblochon, Beaufort and Tomme. But those who appreciate (and can afford) his culinary skills do not really care, as his La Maison des Bois in the French Alps continues to draw in well-heeled epicures despite being downgraded by a star at the beginning of last year.


As the proof of the pudding, as the English say, is in the eating and soufflés are no exception, a French court considered that very fact when it binned Veyrat’s suit demanding the Michelin Guide substantiate its cheesy aspersion and reveal its judges. Veyrat is undoubtedly a big cheese in the culinary world, but just like soufflés, not everything goes the way a chef wants.