Director of the prestigious French GaultMillau restaurant guide Patrick Mayenobe denied on Tuesday that star chef Bernard Loiseau, had killed himself because his flagship restaurant received a low mark.
He told LCI television ”Loiseau — this great French cook, certainly had other problems, other worries.”
Loiseau (52) was found dead of a gunshot wound late on Monday in his home in Saulieu in central France, a shotgun at his side.
An autopsy will be carried out later on Tuesday to determine the official cause of death.
Another legendary French chef, Paul Bocuse, said late Monday that Loiseau probably took his life because GaultMillau had demoted his Cote d’Or restaurant from a grade of 19 out of 20 to 17.
”GaultMillau took away two points, there were a few articles in the press that killed Bernard Loiseau,” Bocuse said. ”Bernard was a sensitive man.”
Mayenobe retorted ”Marks do not kill.” – Sapa-DPA