Paul Bocuse

He's the grumpy pope of French cuisine, traditionalist and innovator, the one and only Monsieur Paul. A sprightly 80-year-old, Bocuse has shaken and shaped France's great culinary heritage more than anyone else before him.

Yet his route to cooking was conventional. Born and raised in the rich traditions of the Lyons region, he comes from a family that has produced cooks over many generations and more than two centuries. It was only natural for him to start as a kitchen boy, turning his hand to some of the toughest and most boring tasks that cooking...