The Roux cousins discuss the legacy of their fathers, what's next after the closure of Le Gavroche and how they have no plans to stop
To describe the Roux family as a dynasty is not hyperbole. Having come from humble French beginnings, Albert Roux moved to London in the 1950s, his younger brother Michel joining him several years later. Both worked as private chefs for the wealthy and, after borrowing £3,000 from one such client (an enormous sum in 1967), they purchased space on Lower Sloane Street and opened their first restaurant, Le Gavroche, thus changing the face of fine dining in Britain.
Food in London at that time was, in their own words, “awful,” but between them, their restaurants have been regulars on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants lists, Albert and Michel won a joint Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 from The World's 50 Best Restaurants, and Le Gavroche and The Waterside Inn gained no less than six Michelin stars between them. Their sons, Alain and Michel Jr. have continued the family legacy.
Devoted to their fathers, who passed away in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and equally as talented, Michel Jr. (Albert’s son) was at the helm of Le Gavroche in London until its closure in 2024, while Alain (Michel Sr’s son) heads The Waterside Inn in Bray, opened by his late father in 1972 and the only restaurant outside of France to consistently hold three Michelin stars since 1985.
The Roux family is a true food dynasty (Image: Francesca Agosta)
Sitting with both sons along the edge of the River Thames at a Waterside Inn table, the feeling of being among food royalty is very real. As both Alain and Michel Jr. talk, it is clear family is at the heart of everything they do. They may well be from a dynastic family, but their devotion to continuing the family legacy by mentoring young chefs and remaining true to everything their fathers founded is unwavering.
There is no sense of competition between the two cousins, who are extremely close. They also insist they don’t feel any personal pressure, despite coming from the stuff of food legend. “When I took over from the old man at Le Gavroche, yes, I felt some pressure,” Michel says. “But not now. Do I feel there is a duty to carry on? Yes. But we were brought up to share our knowledge and teach and we want to carry on by inspiring the next generation.”
The Roux Scholarship celebrates 40 years in 2024
One way they are doing that is as judges for the annual Roux Scholarship, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Created by their fathers, the scholarship has launched the careers of some of the UK’s finest chefs, including Luke Selby, executive chef at Le Manoir, Sat Bains and April Lily Partridge, sous chef at The Ledbury and formerly of Clove Club. It is as tough as culinary competitions get and a source of immense pride for both men..png)
The impressive line-up of judges for the Roux Scholarship 2024 (Image: Jodi Hinds)
In his trademark, distinctly direct way, Michel explains: “The six finalists are very, very good chefs and, if they’ve got into the final, they can cook. But it’s a matter of whether they can handle the pressure. We are looking for a scholar, and a scholar has to be somebody who will also be mentally able to handle everything.”
Alain adds, “It is like the Olympic Games because the calibre is exceptionally high. We don’t judge them on where they’re working or what they’ve done in the past; it is very much about what they do on that day and that pressure can be immense.”
The Waterside Inn is the only restaurant outside of France to hold three Michelin stars since 1985 (Image: Jamie Lau)
The two don’t always agree, by their own admission, but external guest judges are invited in every year. In 2023, Thomas Keller of The French Laundry joined the panel. And, with the next generation in mind, Michel Jr.’s daughter Emily Roux and husband Diego Ferrari are now involved, too.
The scholarship winners are very much like family. “Our dads started young and achieved so much in their own right,” Alain says. “They did a lot to inspire and help so many people. They backed many, not only financially, but also as mentors and friends. I often heard them talk of people they were working with like sons and daughters.”
Alain and Michel are holding a private celebration to honour their fathers
As such, many of those scholars they mentored will join Alain and Michel in October at The Dorchester Hotel for a private celebration of life to honour their fathers. Both men died during the Covid pandemic, making a larger funeral impossible at the time. The need for a proper send-off is evident. But they want the gathering to be a “great party, because our dads loved a good party.”
Alain says, “In one way it’s exciting, but it will also be a relief when it’s over because it will be very emotional. We want to see it as a celebration because it’s at the same time as the 40th anniversary of the Roux Scholarship and it’s for everyone whose lives they’ve touched. They really changed the food scene in this whole country, maybe even around the world, and I feel very proud of that.” Michel agrees: “They would want all of us to have a good time; we don’t want anybody crying too much.”
Private library at The Waterside Inn
Alain has recently built a new private library at The Waterside Inn. It’s a space that is hugely inspirational and immensely peaceful, but the renovation was extremely emotional.
Alain Roux has renovated the private library at The Waterside Inn as a tribute to his late father (Image: Francesca Agosta)
“Dad died right here in this room,” he says. Today, the room is a regal and beautifully designed alter of sorts to the incredible achievements of their fathers. A glass cabinet is lined with original ceramic Michelin men and a hand-written letter from Queen Elizabeth II espousing her love of their food. The walls are adorned floor-to-ceiling with Roux tomes in multiple languages. The space was designed for study or quiet reflection, with views of the river over an impeccably manicured vegetable garden.
Next door, in what was the private kitchen of Michel Sr. is now the Roux Cookery School, an impressive space swathed in stainless steel, high-end kitchen equipment and a teaching station that sits right where Michel’s oven used to be. Today, the school is a serious hub of culinary learning, where guests can embark on everything from soufflés to sauce courses and it also allows for a new series of Chef’s Tables so Roux scholars can come in and cook.
The cookery school at The Waterside Inn in Bray plays host to visiting chefs (Image: Darren Chung)
“There is a wait list for that,” Alain says. Not a waitlist of paying guests, but winners keen to come back for a night. For Alain, there were never any thoughts of moving into the house himself, though he is adamant that, “as long as I’m standing, I’ll be working here at The Waterside Inn. I get flashbacks. I’m not sad, but it’s very personal. I see it all as great memories and I don’t want to lose those, but I couldn’t live here.”
Closing Le Gavroche – and what’s next for the Rouxs
Both cousins are beyond busy, but there is no sense either has plans to slow down. Their work ethic is nothing short of astonishing. At 64, Michel may have made the decision to close the doors on Le Gavroche, but he is juggling as many projects as ever.
At 56, Alain is still in service, cooking every day. “If I achieve half of what my dad achieved in his lifetime, I’d be over the moon,” he says, though his culinary achievements stand up on their own.
Michel and Albert Roux outside Le Gavroche in July 1981
Michel insists closing Le Gavroche after 34 years was the right decision and, in a small way, his move towards easing up a little – though he doesn’t come across as a man for whom retirement is even a flickering consideration. “I was ready” he explains. “We had a long time to think about it and the way we closed was the right way. The final week was a series of celebrations of something great.”
He admits he had “crazy offers to sell it and roll it out in some godforsaken places but I’m never tempted. I wouldn’t do it. So, I’ve kept the rights to the name Le Gavroche. It means I can pick and choose where it goes. Before, Le Gavroche was very much in charge of my life, but now I am in charge of it. I would never allow it to be sold and diluted. It’s special but, also, it’s personal. There is no price and it’s sacred. What we have as a family is absolutely sacred.”
No signs of slowing down
The strong work ethic demonstrated by both men comes from their fathers but, they had no choice in the matter. “As a young teenager, I always used to work in the school holidays,” Michel says. “I did the washing up here at The Waterside Inn for my first little 10-speed racing bike, and from a very young age we were both taught that you don’t get something for nothing; you have to work for everything.”.png)
There is no competition between the Roux cousins (Image: Francesca Agosta)
Alain agrees. “We both had a very similar upbringing. From the age of 16, I had to work over Christmas and New Year and why did I do it? I had no choice because we were open, but I loved it.” He admits that these days, he doesn’t “need to feel needed, but I want people to see they are working in a family business. I want them to feel they are coming into a home. Work, for me, is not work. Sure, there are challenges but without all that, life would be boring. My life is like a service: it is never the same. I like that challenge and I would never want to retire.”
That is right at the heart of what it means to be a Roux. For all the accolades and international success of both generations, it is family and unerring hard work which binds them together, underpinned by the sons’ undying loyalty to what their fathers created. Neither will sell out because, ultimately, “my uncle and my dad had no price,” Alain says. “This is the legacy.”
(Header image: Francesca Agosta)
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