The news that Joel Robuchon, the perfectionist French chef who redefined fine dining and built a multimillion-dollar global empire, died age 73 on Aug 6, 2018, shocked the culinary world.

With, at last count, 31 Michelin stars (including five three-star restaurants) to his name, Robuchon’s name is synonymous with fancy, expensive restaurants doing Gallic food that's modern without losing its rusticity. But Robuchon was actually a rather atypical chef: he spent a lot of time doing competitions, traveled as journeyman learning from France's best cooks and earned his Meilleur Ouvrier de France title at 31 (the highest honor for an artisan).

In 2014, Bangkok was lucky enough to finally get its own Robuchon place, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok, helmed by head chef Olivier Limousin, which gave us a taste of the man’s exceptionally high and consistent standards for French cooking (and, yes, that mashed potato).

In the last 24 hours, Bangkok chefs and restaurateurs have joined with their counterparts the world over in sharing their personal experiences, connections and inspirations derived from Robuchon’s cooking. Here's a selection of the ways Robuchon left an indelible mark on on Bangkok’s dining scene.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok made the following official statement:

Olivier Limousin, head chef at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok, thanked Robuchon for guidance throughout his career: "Thank you for being my master, my model, my source of inspiration, thank you for having trusted me. By your side for 14 years, you have helped me grow both professionally and as a human." 

 

R.I.P Mr Robuchon, c est un jour bien triste .... Merci d’avoir été mon maître, mon modèle, ma source d’ inspiration, merci de m’avoir fais confiance. A vos côtés depuis 14 ans vous m’avez fais grandir professionnellement et humainement. Dans la famille “Robuchon” nous vous appelions papa alors je vous dis “ Adieu papa”

A post shared by Olivier Limousin (@olivierlimousin) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:46am PDT

Jason Bailey, Paste, put it succinctly: “Changed the world of fine dining”

Thitid Tassanakajohn, head chef and owner of Le Du, paid his respects: “And the culinary world is mourning again. RIP the master”

 

And the culinary world is mourning again. RIP the master #greatchef #michelin @michelinguide

A post shared by ThiTid Tassanakajohn (@cheftonn) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:11am PDT

Andrew Martin, head chef at Issaya Siamese Club, praised Robuchon's pursuit of perfection: "Anyone who can make a dish of potatoes famous and world renowned should be held in such high regard."

Jeremy Tourret, head chef at Birds, referred to Robuchon as the "chef of the century":

 

Another Sade day for the Culinary world and the French Gastronomy Joël Robuchon Chef of the century left behind him a huge culinary heritage which inspired the food scene all over the world, you will be missed Maestro #rip #maestro #MrRobuchon #inspiration #gastronomy #michelinstarschef #culinary #gourmet #wewillmissyou

A post shared by Tourret Jérémy (@chef.j.bkk) on Aug 6, 2018 at 7:54pm PDT

Gaggan Anand, of Gaggan—four-time winner of Asia’s Best Restaurant—called it a "Black day for culinary world (sic)": 

 

RIP FR looses another culinary legend this year Most stared chef ever ! Hope all his restaurants survives this trauma Black day for culinary world #joelrobuchon #michelinstars #culinarylegend

A post shared by Gaggan (@gaggan_anand) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:14am PDT