"The Chef is an Artist. Me, I am a Scientist."

One pArt science, one part cooking

Food connoisseur Bruno Goussault was never a classically trained chef. With a PhD in economics and a MS degree in food science, he is every bit a classically trained scientist. He began his food science career working for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, where he improved techniques used to mill sorghum and millet in Africa. Later, he went on to invent a super-quick cooking two-minute rice. All told, he spent 15 years in various senior scientific positions in France.

Capitalizing On An Inability

Early on in his career as a food scientist, Dr. Goussault worked for an employer who bought a slaughterhouse. His research then turned to meat as he developed a specialty in the subject. Dr. Goussualt lacked in an ability most chefs and experts would consider to be indispensable when working with food, as he is completely colorblind. Due to the tradition of judging meat for doneness by its color, Dr. Goussault had to find another means to conduct his work. He began to correlate the structural and textural changes in meat to precise cooking temperatures. This correlation would become the foundation of the sous vide method.

Pushing the needle on temperature

As explained in the book Modernist Cuisine, "Goussualt is generally credited with promoting, in the early 1970s, that cooking sous-vide at temperatures well below boiling could improve the tenderness and flavor of the food. Up to that point, sous-vide cooking had largely been limited to institutional uses and cooking temperatures were held near the boiling point to prolong shelf life. When Goussault presented his findings in 1974 at a food industry conference in Strasbourg, France, they caused quite a stir."

With Time Comes Perfection

By the early 1990s, Dr Goussault had begun to delve into the microbiology of sous vide. Due to certain dangerous bacteria's ability to thrive in the absence of oxygen, like those conditions that exist under vacuum, Dr. Goussault would spend years establishing the technique's safety and promoting its use in industrial food production.

It was at the encouragement of a friend and famous chef, Joël Robouchon, that Dr. Goussault decided to establish a sous vide training center. Centre de Recherche et d'Estudes pour l'Alimentation opened its doors in 1991 with the intention of introducing sous vide to a new audience. CREA would begin changing the way chefs think about cooking and how restaurants serve their patrons.

Genius : 100 Visions of the Future

A True Visionary

The Albert Einstein Legacy Project's Genius : 100 Visions of the Future initiative is an honor that recognizes the world's 100 greatest living visionaries. The initiative is part of the Albert Einstein Foundation's centennial celebration of the world-renowned physicist's Theory of Relativity, a scientific advancement that quite literally changed how we view the world.

Dr. Goussault's groundbreaking work on the sous vide cooking method without a doubt qualified him as a visionary. As a Genius honoree, he joins the ranks of many distinguished recipients, including the likes of: spiritual leader Deepak Chopra, architect Frank Gehry, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, film producer/director Sir Ridley Scott, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Nobel Laureate in Physics Dr. Steven Chu, among many other notable luminaries.

A Legacy

The Modern Scientist

Today, Dr. Goussault continues to refine the revolutionary sous vide cooking method and share his knowledge with world-renowned and up-and-coming chefs alike. He founded CREA, where he has taught more than 80 percent of chefs with three Michelin stars including: Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Yannick Alléno, Joël Robuchon, and Anne-Sophie Pic. Through CREA, Dr. Goussault and his team continue to train the next generation of chefs.

In his own words

Questions to dr. bruno goussault

You're not a chef — you're a scientist. Can you explain this?

My number one job at CREA and Cuisine Solutions is to keep improving the sous vide technique. I started developing the method in 1971 and have continued to advance it ever since.

Through sous vide, I help our chefs develop new products that are superior in quality, flavor, tenderness, and nutritional integrity.

Which star chefs have you trained?

In the United States, I have trained Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Michel Richard, and Mark Miller. In France, I have trained Antoine Westermann, Michel Bras, Ann-Sophie Pic, Yannick Alléno, and Joël Robuchon.

Why have you taught the world's top chefs your sous vide secrets?

I love research and teaching. When I train great chefs, I learn from them too! At CREA, we believe teaching others will keep sous vide popular, and we want to ensure that chefs have the knowledge to use sous vide with the utmost safety.

Can you name your favorite sous vide creations?

For meat, I prefer rack of lamb and beef short ribs. I like all kinds of white fish: cod fish, halibut, and turbot. They are just delicious!

What does the future hold for CREA?

We are always conducting research on microbiology, texture, packaging, temperature, and ingredients. Our commitment to investing in research and innovation helps both CREA and our parent company Cuisine Solutions as a business, as well as our friends in the industry.

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