Le Jeune Chef Restaurant

Lifelong Education Center, Rm. B107 · For reservations phone (570) 320-CHEF or (570) 320-2433

Visiting Chef

* This biography was accurate at the time of the chef's appearance on campus. (October 4,1996)

Georges Perrier

Georges Perrier, chef-owner of Le Bec-Fin, has been the toast of Philadelphia for the past 30 years. Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell named the street in front of Le sBec-Fin, "Georges Perrier Place" in honor of Chef Perrier's 50th birthday. Condé Nast Traveler Editor Tom Wallace refers to Chef Perrier as a "living monument."

A spirited personality, Chef Perrier has become a regularly invited guest on Late Show with David Letterman. In 1998, he was named "Best Mid-Atlantic Chef," a prestigious honor given by the James Beard Foundation. Originally from Lyon, France, a city world-renowned for its culinary arts, Chef Perrier began his accomplished career when he was 14 years old. He trained with the great chefs at some of the finest restaurants of France including Michel Lorrain of Casino de Charbonnieres near Lyon, Jacques Picard of L'Oustau de Baumaniere in Provence and Guy Thivard at La Pyramide in Vienne.

Chef Perrier first came to Philadelphia in 1967 as Head Chef for Peter von Starck's La Panetiere. Three years later, Perrier began his own restaurant at 1312 Spruce Street, choosing for its name Le Bec-Fin, French idiom for "the good taste." It quickly became a Philadelphia institution.

Visitors to the city considered it a must and regular patrons started coming from as far away as New York and Washington D.C. In 1983, Chef Perrier acquired an historic art deco building at 1523 Walnut Street where he created what is often referred to as the most elegant restaurant in the country. The new location has enabled Le Bec-Fin to add a private banquet room, a separate smoking dining room and the intimate bistro, Le Bar Lyonnais. With the opening of Le Bar Lyonnais in November 1990, Perrier achieved the complete restaurant which had been his dream since he arrived in Philadelphia

Chef Perrier and Le Bec-Fin have received the highest accolades in the hospitality industry. The restaurant has been rated Five-Stars by the Mobil Travel Guide for 20 years and Five-Diamond status with the American Automobile Association (AAA) since 1989. For three consecutive years, readers of Gourmet magazine have selected the restaurant as their #1 choice in Philadelphia. In 1994, Le Bec-Fin was named the #1 restaurant in the country by readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine.

The Chef and his restaurant are equally esteemed internationally. In 1976, Chef Perrier was inducted into the Maitres Cuisiniers de France, the premier international society of French chefs. Its 200 members include the finest French chefs in the world. In 1989, those members voted Perrier "Chef of the Year" and awarded him with the Silver Toque, the most coveted trophy in the world of haute cuisine.