French chef Albert Roux, who with his late brother Michel helped revolutionise Britain's dining scene with "Le Gavroche" restaurant in London, has died at 85, his family said Wednesday.
Roux died Monday after being unwell for a while, the family said in a statement. His brother Michel passed away in March last year at 78.
The brothers arrived in London in the 1960s and opened the signature restaurant in Mayfair in 1967, offering the highest standard of French cuisine at a time when British restaurant food had a lowly reputation worldwide.
The restaurant, along with "The Waterside Inn" they opened in Bray, west of London, were both awarded Michelin stars in 1974 and again in 1977, as fine dining slowly began to permeate British culture.
"The Waterside Inn" in 1985 became the first restaurant outside France to win three stars, and still retains its rating, serving classic French cuisine under the leadership of Michel's son Alain, who also runs "Le Gavroche".
The brothers were also at the forefront of the television cookery revolution in Britain, hosting a show in the early 1980s.
They founded the Roux Brothers Scholarship in 1984, which allows talented chefs to train at Michelin-starred restaurants.
The Scholarship Fund said: "We are deeply saddened to have lost our founder and patron Albert Roux. His legacy will live on in the thousands of chefs he inspired and trained."
Renowned chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White worked at "Le Gavroche".
On Instagram, Ramsay called Albert Roux "a legend" and "the man who installed Gastronomy in Britain".
"Thank you Albert for everything you gave me, God Bless you Chef."
Jay Rayner, food critic for The Observer newspaper, tweeted: "Albert Roux was an extraordinary man, who left a massive mark on the food story of his adopted country.
"The roll call of chefs who went through the kitchens of Le Gavroche alone, is a significant slab of a part of modern UK restaurant culture."
