Other
Alain Roux
Chef Patron
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Before the chef-patron role at The Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, England, the working formation was French and classical: pastry apprenticeship, restaurant training, military-kitchen discipline, then station work inside the Bray dining room. Alain Roux, born on 27 March 1968, has held the chef-patron post at The Waterside Inn since 2002, and is also Chef Patron of Roux at Skindles in Taplow. The house line remains visible in a signature lobster dish created by Michel Roux.
The Path
Pastry training supplied the early grammar: sugar work, repetition, timing and clean finish at Pâtisserie Millet in Paris, France (1984–1986), where Alain Roux worked as apprentice pastry chef. The classical French sequence that followed — chef / trainee at Restaurant Pic in France, Le Domaine d'Orvault in France, La Bonne Etape in France, Château de Montreuil in France, and La Côte Saint-Jacques in France — placed that precision inside restaurant service. Military conscription added another register through work as chef at Élysée Palace in Paris, France. The Bray progression then moved through the brigade at The Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, England: Demi-chef de partie (1992–1995), sous chef (1995–2002), with membership at Relais Desserts from 2000. Since 2002, the chef-patron work at The Waterside Inn has meant continuity under service pressure rather than simple preservation. Alain Roux carries a dining-room language already established before him, while also working beyond Bray as celebrity chef judge at MasterChef: The Professionals, menu developer for Business Premier class at Eurostar (2011), judge of Roux Scholarship, and, since 2021, lead chef of Le Normandie, Mandarin Oriental.
The Work Today
The Bray kitchen operates inside an inherited house language where the test is not novelty alone, but whether a dish still reads clearly after decades of service. Pan-fried lobster medallions with vegetable julienne and white port sauce is the clearest marker: created by Michel Roux in the early 1980s, influenced by Asian shellfish, sweet-and-sour and ginger flavours, and kept nearly the same since. Alain Roux’s current role as Chef Patron places that dish within daily production rather than archive. The present work also extends to Roux at Skindles in Taplow, where Alain Roux is Chef Patron. The Roux Scholarship remains part of the wider Roux professional world, connecting competition, judging and the standards expected of working cooks.
Acclaim
Alain Roux has received MICHELIN Guide: Three Michelin Stars for The Waterside Inn (1985). Recognition here is tied to institutional consistency as much as individual tenure. Alain's honors include The Waterside Inn became the first restaurant outside France to hold Three Michelin Stars for 25 years (2010) and Three Michelin Stars for The Waterside Inn (1985).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Alain
What is Alain Roux's current role?
Alain Roux is Chef Patron.
Where did Alain Roux work before?
Earlier in their career, Alain Roux worked at Pâtisserie Millet, Restaurant Pic, and Le Domaine d'Orvault.
