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Paul Bocuse comes from a long line of French chefs and restauranteurs dating back to 1765. After working under several noted chefs, he took over his family's failing restaurant near Lyon, and saved it from ruin. His family nickname was 'primate of the palate'.
Bocuse is one of the founders of a style of cooking which came to be called 'nouvelle cuisine'. He avoided the use of heavy cream and butter sauces, using simpler recipes, market-fresh food and emphasized natural flavors and textures. This nouvelle cuisine caught on with many younger chefs, and Bocuse became an ambassador of French cuisine, traveling around the world giving classes. He has written several books, including La Cuisine du Marche (The Cuisine of the Market, 1976), English translation, Paul Bocuse's French Cooking