Bernard Loiseau (13 January 1951 – 24 February 2003) was a French chef. He decided to become a chef as a teenager, apprenticing at the famous La Maison Troisgros run by the brothers Jean and Pierre Troisgros in Roanne between 1968 and 1971.
Loiseau was hailed as a prodigy by the Gault Millau guide. Loiseau bought La Côte d'Or from Verger in 1982, and the well known Michelin Guide bestowed the coveted 3-star rating on his establishment in 1991.
Loiseau had made a life's ambition of becoming a 3-star chef, a goal which had required 17 years of hard work at La Côte d'Or to achieve. Toward the end of his life, tastes in popular food styles were changing and Loiseau was afraid of losing his three star rating.
On February 24, 2003, Loiseau died by suicide. It was reported that Loiseau was despondent over his debt issues and decreasing patronage and popularity at his restaurant, He was fifty years old when he died.
Bernard Loiseau
January 13, 1951 – February 24, 2003
