Loiseau, Bernard, 1951-2003

Bernard Daniel Jacques Loiseau (French pronunciation: [bɛʁnaʁ danjɛl ʒak lwazo]; 13 January 1951 – 24 February 2003) was a French chef at Le Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu, Côte-d'Or. He obtained three stars in the Michelin Guide and had a peak rating of 19.5/20 in the Gault Millau restaurant guide. He was one of the most mediatised French chefs in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2003, a short time after having become a member of the Relais & Châteaux association, Loiseau was downgraded from 19/20 to 17/20 in the Gault et Millau guide and received a strong negative media review from the gastronomic critic François Simon in the newspaper Le Figaro, but he still had his three stars in the Michelin Guide. As criticism continued to pour in and while the media speculated about a possible future loss of a Michelin star, he died by suicide by self-inflicted gunshot without giving any explanation. The theories aiming at explaining his death are the object of strong polemics. His decision was likely due to increased bouts of clinical depression.