MARC writes:

Thank you for your article, “Cooking and Love,” published a few days ago.

I had never heard of the Lutèce before, nor of the chef André Soltner, but then I’m not very cultivated and certainly not in the culinary field, so not much of a surprise here.

However, checking on the internet about Mr. Soltner, I could see he was from Thann where he was born in 1932. Though my wife is Swiss and we live on the other side of the border from Alsace, one of her grandmothers was born a few months later and lived her whole life in a small town just a mere miles away from Thann.

Marguerite, known as Maggy, had this in common with Mr. Soltner that she was by all accounts an incredible cook. As would have stated Mr. Soltner, she had become one not only because she mastered technique – which she clearly did –, but also because she was preparing each meal with the ingredients of love. Each day, spending most of the time in the kitchen, she would be cooking lunch and dinner for her husband – who worked in a steel factory, oftentimes nightshifts – and her six children. It always consisted of a starter, a main course and a dessert. No exception.

Maggy did not move to New York City to open a fancy restaurant. She never appeared in a food critic magazine and rarely went outside of her hometown. Why would she? There was enough to do there and she was known to all in the local community. By all standards, she was not rich, but she somehow found the time and the resources to help those who needed some support. She was especially caring towards the young children, the needy and the parish priests. My wife has countless beautiful memories of all the time she spent with her, in and around the house, as her grandchild.

When she passed away on the eve of the Immaculate Conception one year ago, the family house built by her husband was not worth $3 million. However, she did leave behind a legacy of love to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also left a legacy of her classical Alsatian recipes, compiled in a book. In the steps of Maggy, my wife spends a great deal of her time cooking in the kitchen to prepare healthy meals for our two young children and for us. It’s not so much about the healthy meals – which matter –, but more importantly about the palpable atmosphere of love and care which transcends our
home. Not all is rosy as our eldest has some form of autism which can make our life quite painful. Still, we do attribute, at least partially, to the powerful influence of Maggy many of the gifts we receive in our daily lives.

It must have been difficult for Mr. Soltner to step away from his successful career as a chef considering all the well-deserved praises and recognition he has received during his tenure. As humble as one might be, it can’t be an easy decision to take. Yet, given the impact that his pace of work was having on his wife’s life, it certainly looks like it was the right path to follow. Also, while I’m sure Mr. Soltner did infuse much love in his work and that it was noticed by
many of his customers, I can’t help but to think that it is around the family table that this kind of love is the most recognized and appreciated.

May he rest in peace now.

Laura writes:

Thank you for writing. I’m so sorry about your son. May he completely recover.

I think Soltner would agree with you. He said his mother was a very good cook and her family meals — as well as his father’s work as a craftsman — inspired him.

Maggy was obviously a beautiful person and a gifted cook. Not everyone who cooks with love can be an incredible cook, as was she, but anyone who does will almost always produce good food superior to that in most restaurants.

A home cook faced with so much everyday drudgery may be inspired in turn by the great professionals of the kitchen.

Cooking is not just a work of the hands, but of the imagination as well. Stories of the truly outstanding chefs, their beautiful restaurants, their inventive recipes can inspire a home cook to take part in the never-ending, exciting narrative of excellence in the kitchen. To pursue mastery is its own reward, though sustaining those one loves even more so.

By the way, it is wonderful that you appreciate your wife’s work in the kitchen and the hard labor of her beloved grandmother, gone but still here in the hearts of those she fed.

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