Hailed as “Chef of the Century” by the Gault & Millau guide, Paul Bocuse born
in 1926 into a family of chefs, one in which the profession had been passed from father to son since
the 17th century. Bocuse earned his first Michelin star in 1958 and won the Meilleur Ouvrier de
France contest three years later. He was awarded his second Michelin star in 1960. The awarding of
his third Michelin star, in 1965, was the culmination of the great work he had achieved throughout
his career.
Among his many interests and eccentricities, he kept a collection of festive barrel organs at Abbaye
de Collonges, a property he ran and maintained as an event space. The centerpiece is a rare Grand
Limonaire, which is 18 feet tall and 32 feet wide. At its loudest, the organ sounds like a 110-piece
orchestra, with dozens of humanlike automatons clanging cymbals, wringing accordions, and beating
drums. During World War I, the Limonaire had been sealed behind a wall in Lyon. It was Bocuse who
eventually unsealed it, like a tomb, spending untold amounts of cash to restore it. Emblazoned in
red, capital letters across the organ were the words BOCUSE CIRCUS.
This is a recording of it being played on this 4LP box set signed by Paul Bocuse. All records are in
near mint condition