"Today, the profession has changed enormously. There's no more coal. You push a button and you have heat," he said.

The gastronomic offerings at Bocuse's L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges are rooted in the French culinary tradition: simple, authentic food that was "identifiable" in its nature.

Emblematic of that was a crock of truffle soup topped with a golden bubble of pastry he created in 1975 for then-French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, which is served to this day. Another classic is fricassee of Bresse chicken - from France's Bresse region, which is famed for its poultry - served in cream with morilles, a spring mushroom.

And his favorite ingredient? Butter.

"(It's a) magical product," he said during a visit to the Culinary Institute of America. "Nothing replaces butter."

Three other cooking must-haves, according to the chef, are fresh produce (his was from his own garden), good, trusted kitchen staff and happy diners.

"It's the client who runs the house," Bocuse said in the AP interview.

While Bocuse's kitchens were meticulously in order, his personal life was on the unorthodox side. He acknowledged in a 2005 biography that he had been quietly sharing his life with three women - simultaneously - each with a pivotal role in his life.

"I think cuisine and sex have lots of common points," Bocuse said before publication of Paul Bocuse: The Sacred Fire. "Even if it seems a bit macho, I love women."

He is survived by his wife Raymonde, their daughter Francoise and a son, Jerome.

ASSOCIATED PRESS