Memories of Chef Roger Fessaguet

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Posted 04 Apr 2017 in Warms My Heart

Tonight I quietly dedicated service in the Bistro to Roger Fessaguet one of the most important chefs in the history of New York City and one who deserves to occupy our memories and hearts. April 2nd was the third anniversary of his passing and I think of him every year on this day.  For 20 years Roger was chef at New York’s four-star La Caravelle restaurant on West 55th street (near 5th avenue) starting when it opened in 1960 until his retirement from the kitchen in 1980.  Back in February of 2012 I spent three days with Roger at his home in West Palm Beach Florida recording his stories and blanketing him with the respect and compassion he deserved at such a late stage in his life.

Roger Fessaguet, Jim Griffin, Jean Jacques Dietrich

We were brought together by my mentor and good friend Chef Jean Jacques Dietrich – a lifelong  friend of Fessaguet. Dietrich lived with me when he first started teaching after retiring from the New York Athletic Club and we have remained close ever since. It was Dietrich’s idea to visit with Roger and record a bit of his history – an act of deep respect and love from one great chef to another.

Prior to visiting Roger time was spent reflecting on what life might be like at the end of a long career in foodservice. What happens when the world no longer pays attention after decades of adoration? What is life like when the spotlight dims then darkens – is there sadness or joy, bitterness or grace? What do the best chefs in the world value most after a career has ended and the sun begins to set on a life well lived.

Roger never expressed regret for being a chef and remained fulfilled by a magnificent career even later in life. He spoke at length about his great chef friends including Pierre Franey, Jacques Pepin, Jean Jacques, and Andre Soltner.  He loved reflecting back on life at La Caravelle, sharing wonderful memories of his staff and customers like Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, Salvador Dali, and others. An intellectual, he kept meticulous records and documentation including thousands of pages or recipes, reservation books, floor plans, sales records, menus, and memorabilia. Reviewing and sharing these materials brought him great joy. And he loved talking about his late wife Anne Marie who shared his journey until she passed away in 1985. Fessaguet had no regrets, he loved being a chef, loved the Franco culinary community and culture of New York in the 1960’s, remained a captivated culinary intellectual until the day he died and never stopped loving his beautiful wife Anne Marie.

One of Fessaguet’s Chef’s Knifes – West Palm Beach Florida 2012

Of the many anecdotes and stories shared by Fessaguet my favorite is his description of finishing a summer night of service at La Caravelle and jumping into his Porsche with Anne Marie for a high-speed 390 mile ride to his beloved cottage in Chamberlain, Maine. He and Anne Marie would roll the windows down in the car and floor it while driving north, scanning for police all the way to the cottage. Arriving around 5:00 in the morning, I can only imagine the two of them collapsing into bed with the sun just rising over Muscongus Bay and Haddock Island.  When Roger told this story his posture softened, his eyes sparkled, and his heart grew warm. He loved his cottage in Maine.

Fessaguet’s beloved “Finistere” Cottage, Long Cove Point, Maine

(this painting hung over Fessaguets sofa in West Palm Beach Florida)

He also made me laugh when I asked him about the restaurant name “La Caravelle “ and he joked about how so many people got the story wrong. Most, including the New York Times, incorrectly claim the restaurant was named after the small sailing ships used by Christopher Columbus – Fessaguet found this funny. The restaurant was actually named after the Caravelle jetliner built by French firm Sud Aviation in the 1950’s. It was on one of these aircraft that Chef Fessaguet flew for the first time – that the aircraft was French built made it all the sweeter. Such a fitting name for a restaurant that took flight the minute it opened in 1960.

Chef Roger Discusses the Culinary Brigade at Le Pavillon Restaurant

Roger was a great man and I remain thankful for having known him and for the tremendous impact he made on our profession. Few chefs have been as influential or demonstrated as much professionalism. Today we all stand on Roger’s shoulders, he is a true pillar of American gastronomy and he lives on in the many generations of chefs that are prospering today because of the path paved.  Great chefs never fade away – they live on in the many generations of chefs whose lives they impacted and whose professions they improved. At 82 years of age, the last trip he took prior to passing was back to Maine for one more visit to his beloved cottage. One last visit to the cottage filled with Anne Marie’s spirit and such joyous memories – the cottage purchased through the blood, sweat, and tears of hard work at La Caravelle. Roger never returned to Florida – he passed away shortly after visiting his cottage in a nursing home in Damariscotta. Rest easy friend.


9 Comments

  1. Laura Hearne

    Roger Fessaquet was our neighbor at the Dorchester in Palm Beach. He was a dear man and we were able to become friends with him in his last years. A gentle spirit who loved to recount his adventures and pass on his love of french cooking. He was as much an ambassador for his country and culture as he was a chef. We miss him greatly.

  2. Dora Holvey

    My Daughter Laura Hearne shared this with me. It is a wonderful tribute.

    please contact us if you would like to exchange more information. We knew him well and enjoyed may holidays and afternoon chats about his career.

    We have some little treasures from Mr. Fessaquet that we would like to donate to a French memorial of him. We were thinking maybe in Lyon there would be someone who has a showcase or place of tribute to him. Plates and glasses from the restaraunt and a tribute dinner. Laura is in Germany, I am in VT.

    hearnelaura@yahoo.com

    holveydora@yahoo.com

  3. Thank you for the historical information. I never did know Mr. Fessegiet but My wife and I purchased Roger’s cottage “Finestere” on Long Cove Point in 2015. My wife grew up summering on Long Cove Point and her family belonged to the Long Cove Point Association with Mr.Fessaguet. Luckily, we were able to retain most of his artwork, cookbooks, cooking utensils and even his historical record of dinner parties with the evenings menu and guest lists, including one weekend with Julia Childs and her niece. I have posted a link with pictures of the what the cottage looks like.

  4. Thank you Gary, so glad you purchased the cottage. Roger loved Finestere and used to tell stories of wrapping up service in Manhattan on a Saturday evening in Summer and driving his Porsche break-neck speeds to get to Finestere before sunrise. Roger was meticulous when keeping records. It doesn’t surprise me that you have historical records in hand. Thank you for sharing and preserving part of his legacy.

  5. Chris Kahlson

    I had the honor to work as a night saucier for Roger Fessaguet at Le Poullailer under executive Chef Andre Moisan for a few years (77-80) and afterwards I also worked as a Sous chef for Jean Jacques Dietrich at the New York Athletic Club (81). So I got experience a great deal of the meticulous attention to preparation and details required to produce the highest quality cuisine possible. It was an absolutely one of the most incredible periods in my life. These are truly men of honor that deserve to be remembered forever.

  6. Leighton Samms

    I went to LaCaravelle , in the early 60s for refrigeration,&A/C work, so one day after worked on an ice maker, I had’ROGER’ sign me out, Where are you going next? Lunch sir. Well why don’t you have lunch with us? Is this a joke ?
    No, so they set a fourth setting, everything was as it was in the restaurant , full plate setting, anyhow, I am sure I was being scrutinized, so having come from a BRITISH CROWN COLONY, was accustomed to using a knife &fork, the meal was outstanding, so I got to know him over the years,those early days he was on cable TV too, but I even ate there for dinner a few times.I never knew what became of him the older I got, then searched, then found he retired then passed on , ROGER was a wonderful chef, And a gentleman, those days I was in my20s , now 80,
    Roger, Rest in PEACE.

  7. Thank you Leighton, he was and remaind loved. An icon whose shoulders we stand on. Such a wonderful story. We apprecaite you preserving here.

  8. Chris, a long overdue note. Thank you for sharing your story. Chef’s Fessaguet and Dietrich were dear friend (Dietrich was considered family after living with us for a year when he transferred to Johnson & Wales after retiring from NY Athletic Club). These comments warm my heart and would have warmed theirs too. We stand on their shoulders today.

  9. Louis Pierre Le Guyader

    My family and I were friends of the Le Corre and Fessaguet families. We are from Brittany; my grandparents immigrated to the US in 1928. Both my grandfather, Louis, and father, Johnny were chefs. My grandparents had become friends of Louis and Josephine Le Corre through the Breton community of New York. And through them of course we were able to spend quite a lot of holiday times with Roger and his wife Annick (Anne Marie). Visits were exchanged on Long Island during the days that Roger and Annick had their cottage in Mastic – an easier commute back to NYC than the Hamptons. Roger was the head of the Vatel Club in New York, more or less a “guild” for chefs (French Chefs!) in New York. My father, Johnny, was a member. It was <>. My favorite memory of Roger was a long weekend afternoon in Mastic with my grandfather and father and Roger’s father-in-law Louis – the men entrenched at the dinner table debating the merits and demerits of <> and parts of Jacques Pepin’s career. The debate ended with Roger’s final judgement: “Well I eat Le Burger McDonalds! I eat it because it tastes good!” Viola! Bonne Souvenirs de Roger Fessaguet, sa famille, et ces temps.



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