Raymond Blanc (1949-), Chef and restaurateur

Raymond René Blanc

Sitter in 2 portraits
Raymond Blanc is the owner and chef at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, a hotel-restaurant in Oxfordshire. He arrived in the UK from France in 1972 and, since then, he has been credited with fostering a change in the nation's eating habits. Blanc began his restaurant career first as a waiter and then as a chef at La Sorbonne restaurant in Oxford. He opened the first small Quat'Saisons in 1975. The restaurant was soon granted Michelin stars and a host of other distinctions. Now called Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, and relocated to a small country house in Great Milton, the restaurant has a cookery school alongside it. Blanc is the author of several books including Cooking for Friends and Foolproof French Cookery.