The suicide of Bernard Loiseau in February 2003 sent shock waves through France: the country's most famous chef had shot himself on the eve of publication of Michelin, the Bible of good eating. Ascendancy to coveted three-star status in Michelin, and keeping it year after year, takes its toll on the best chefs, and rumours had already begun to circulate that Loiseau might fall from grace. Delving deep into the life of Loiseau and the world of haute cuisine, Rudolph Chelminksi asks whether the same dedication to perfection that took Loiseau to the top also caused him to seek the only release imaginable from the terrible pressure to stay there.
