Iconic French chef Paul Bocuse got a rapturous welcome this weekend in the United States for the inauguration of a new restaurant bringing his culinary prowess to American palate, reports France 24.
Despite a bout of ill health last month, the 87-year-old chef, among the most accomplished in history, did not hesitate to cross the Atlantic for the launch of The Bocuse Restaurant.
The Culinary Institute of America last year closed its Escoffier Restaurant, named after "the king of chefs and the chef of kings" Auguste Escoffier.
After renovations, the menu was revamped to feature contemporary French fare after some of Bocuse's best recipes at CIA's first new restaurant in 40 years.
Escoffier had helped make haute cuisine available to family kitchens thanks to cookbooks and restaurants at the Ritz in Paris, London's Savoy and other distinguished institutions.
At the CIA's campus on the banks of the frozen Hudson River, hundreds of students attended Bocuse's lecture on Friday to hear him speak about his life and dole out both advice and encouragement.
"Cook the way you like, with local, quality products," Bocuse told the students. "This is very important."
Read more of this report from France 24.