chef Werner Voegeli, 77, worked for Swedish kings, dies
wazzzy
Renowned Swiss-born chef Werner Voegeli, who cooked for Swedish kings
and won fame as one of the first chefs to prepare food on television,
has died aged 77, reports said Wednesday.
Voegeli was born in Langnau in Emmental, Berne. At age nine, he
declared that he planned to become a chef and trained in his native
Switzerland, as well as Germany, Italy, Ireland and France before he
came toSweden in the 1950s, according to a documentary screened on
Swedish television.
He was soon employed at the Operakallaren restaurant in the Swedish
capital Stockholm that traces its history back to 1787.
Voegeli was 1972 named royal chef by King Gustaf IV Adolf and prepared
numerous banquets hosted by the Swedish royals for visiting
dignitaries, including 42 private banquets hosted at the palace for
the Nobel laureates.
King Carl XVI Gustaf, who succeeded his grandfather on the throne in
1973, named Voegeli royal restaurateur in 1977.
Leading contemporary Swedish chefs including Fredrik Eriksson and
Christer Lingstrom praised Voegeli for his generosity, eye for detail
and how he always stressed the importance of using quality primary
produce.
They underlined how Voegeli, who 1954 married Ingrid from northern
Sweden, also learned how to master traditional Swedish dishes that he
gave a personal flavour.
As one of the first chefs to demonstrate his skills on television,
Voegeli won popularity among large sections of the population.
He also penned several cook books and belonged to several societies
including Academie Culinaire de France and was former head of the Club
des Chefs des Chefs - an exclusive grouping of chefs who work for
heads of state or government.