Growing up as a malnourished child in a Parisian orphanage, Philippe Auber, now 68, never dreamed that his early introduction to cooking in the modestly stocked kitchen of his institution would someday lead him on a whirlwind journey as a personal chef for dignitaries, designers and other celebrity types.
A world away from the luxurious estates and garden parties where he used to cook, Auber now enjoys his golden years after his winding, and sometimes broken, journey which eventually led him to the Bluegrass. A tale certainly worth hearing - it's a story of pain and joy, beauty and artistry, and the contentment that came from the freedom of conceiving his culinary creations.
Living a passionate life, food has been one of Auber's most satisfying artistic outlets. Though he maintains a scholarly knowledge of cuisine, the splashy photographs that grace the pages of his pictorial resume album reflect a loopy artistry in his dishes that is all his own.
The Early Years
Born in the midst of World War II to a teenage mother and an alcoholic father who abandoned him, Auber spent his early childhood in numerous foster homes, and was eventually sent to live in a rigid Catholic orphanage at the age of 10.
"It was very strict," he remembered. "You could not speak at all-we had to work in silence."
The children, who were schooled during a small part of the day, spent the remainder of their time working at various tasks they had been assigned. As fate would have it, Auber ended up in the kitchen, and from there his culinary journey began.
Auber's saving grace while at the orphanage came in the form of a kindhearted woman who taught him the basics of the kitchen-from growing fruits and vegetables in the garden, to killing chickens and plucking their feathers, to baking bread from scratch.
After a year in the orphanage kitchen, Auber was sent to live with his grandmother and obtained a job at a deli to earn his keep. Though Auber called those three years "one of the worst times of my life," because of the deli's cruel owner, he learned several cooking techniques there that he still uses today. Later, as a teenager, Auber worked in various restaurants until he turned 16 and was hired by a prestigious Paris eatery, CafĂ DeLepaix.
It was not surprising that in the height of his youth, Auber, a charismatic personality with chiseled, handsome features and striking blue eyes, was approached about doing some acting while working at the restaurant. It seemed like a good idea, and the cook moved to Los Angeles, where he lived for 18 years acting and also working as a manager and chef at notable eateries like Le Restaurant, Villa Frascati Restaurant on Sunset Boulvard and Le St. Michel in Santa Monica.
Though he acted briefly in a television series called "High Station Zebra," and had a role in the movie "Valley of the Dolls," Auber came to the realization that a life in show business wasn't the life for him.
The Life of a Private Chef
After hiring an agent who helped him tweak his resume to state that his cooking skills hailed from a culinary institution in Switzerland rather than a Parisian orphanage, Auber was hired to cook at his first private residence.
"I'm always ready for something new, so (working as a private chef) was perfect for my profession, because now I had to invent and create things on a daily basis," Auber said. "These people are not going to have the same stuff three days in a row - they are very spoiled, so you have to have what they want."
One of Auber's first experiences as a private chef was across the country from sunny L.A. at the glamorous New York City River House apartment of Elizabeth Rosenstiel Annenburg Kabler, whose mother was the chief of protocol for the White House during Nixon's presidency. After Kabler, Auber was directed to William Rosenwald, an elderly billionaire patriarch of Sears Roebuck.
"He was a charming gentleman, a real gentleman," said Auber, who worked for Rosenwald from 1987 to 1995. "I really cared for him a lot-he was a sweet man and always treated me beautifully."
One of Auber's most memorable moments working for Rosenwald was when a caterer was hired to provide the cuisine for a 36-person gathering, who did a masterful job of botching the entire affair.
"After the party, Mr. Rosenwald asked me what I thought, and I said, 'Let's not go into details, but if you have 100 or 200 (guests), I'm doing the party from now on. If you want to give me a little sugar on the side, that's fine, but I'm doing the party, because that was not proper,'" Auber said with a laugh.
As word spread of Auber's culinary expertise, he began getting offers from other dignitaries willing to double or triple his salary if he would work for them. Some of his other major clients include Gilbert Annenberg Kahn, nephew of Walter Annenberg, the ambassador to England during Nixon's presidency, and Henry Grunwald, ambassador to Austria during Ronald Reagan's presidency.
"This is where I really met the Reagans-(Henry Grunwald's wife) Louise was giving really fabulous, tasteful parties," said Auber, who served such guests in the Grunwalds' homes in the Hamptons and Martha's Vineyard as television personality Barbara Walters and prominent New York designer Mark Hampton. "All the parties had to do with raising money for the library, museum or opera."
Working for people in their homes, Auber relished the fact that "creation was in my hands. I could do whatever I wanted and spend whatever I wanted. Everything had to be top dollar; people wanted meats flown in from the best places."
Auber also worked for Linda Wachner, president and CEO of Wamaco and creator of the Speedo brand. Wachner, who had seven different homes at the time, whisked Auber around the world in her Learjet to cook meals for her in New York, Paris, London, Hong Kong and Aspen, Colo.
"It was absolutely gorgeous, but I could only take so much of that traveling," Auber said, who took a break from working after his time with Wachner to build a home in Pennsylvania. After working a brief stint again for Kahn from 1999-2000, Auber's resume was taken to a whole new level when he was hired as a private chef for affluent fashion designer Donatella Versace, whose brother, Gianni Versace, is the founder of the Versace clothing brand.
In 2001, after Auber had a knee replacement, he retired as a private chef. Even though it meant leaving the mansions by the sea, crystal clear swimming pools, lavish banquet tables with exquisite flower arrangements, French doors opening up to sun splashed patios, kitchens with China cabinets stretching to the ceiling, and the most glorious cookware money can buy, Auber decided it was time to move on and begin working for himself. In 2002, Auber opened a restaurant called Cave de Provence in Stroudsburg, Pa., working as executive chef in the upscale eatery.
"I worked six months to build it myself," Auber said. "I did everything - I built all the arches, I put in every stone, and it was really a beautiful place."
The restaurant was a big success at first, though the location was not ideal for its sophisticated clientele, who had to travel from neighboring towns. Auber began losing money, and just two years after opening, with much reluctance, he was forced to close the doors on his dream.
The Bluegrass
After spending two years in Las Vegas, oil painting and working on a cookbook, Auber somehow found his way to Lexington, a place where he had frequently visited a friend over the years.
"I've been coming here off and on for the past 20 years, and I fell in love with Lexington," Auber said. "The first time I came here, I said, 'This is the most wonderful little city, because it has everything I love. It has art, it has a philharmonic orchestra, it has an opera, it has a beautiful museum and parks, and it's young because of the university.'"
Auber is now enjoying the low-key life, living in a "charming apartment" off Versailles Road with his pit bull border collie mix, Blue, teaching an occasional cooking class and serving as the chef for a few private dinner parties. In his spare time, he is working on an autobiographical book called "Abandoned Art," as well as a cookbook documenting the secrets of some of his favorite creations.
Though he has moved on from his former life, Auber still holds on to the memories in his resume album, which contains dozens of elaborate menus, as well as thank you notes from his former clients. His talent is summed up well in the words of a few individuals:
"Philippe is capable and organized - planning and preparing a number of very formal dinner parties for 20, as well as sumptuous cocktail buffets for 100," wrote Gilbert Khan in a letter of recommendation. "He is especially gifted in the art of food presentation."
Wrote Margaret Halpern, one of Khan's regular dinner party guests, "Thank you so much. Each meal was a painting."
Perhaps the biggest compliment came from Grunwald, however, who called Auber "the magician of cuisine."
Though it may come as a surprise that Auber is living out his retirement Lexington, he is convinced the Bluegrass is where he was meant to end up.
"(Lexington) has a fantastic history about it, and nowhere else in America can you drive 10 minutes out of town in any direction and be in the middle of horse paradise," he said. "So I was really taken by this city, and I said if I retire one day, this is where I want to be."