Chef Biography
Yves Labbé was born in 1945 in Montherme, Ardennes, France near the Belgium border, right after the end of WWII. He wanted to be a chef, but his family insisted that he attend art school, so in 1963 he enrolled into École des Beaux Arts where he spent the next three years.
In 1966 at the age of 21, he went down to Cannes, France to cook on a yacht during the summer, and never went back. He cooked in restaurants in Cannes during the winter and cooked aboard yachts in the summer, and even crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean. In 1968, he served in the military cooking for two years, then returned to Cannes. In 1971 he was offered a kitchen job at a French restaurant in the United States, and began working his way up the kitchen ladder. In March of 1976 he was saucier for a Ft. Lauderdale restaurant and a year later in 1977, was offered the chef de cuisine position at the new La Vieille Maison, where he raised the bar two years later and was awarded the Mobil Five Star rating. In 1984, he was asked to appear on Julia Child’s “Dinner at Julia’s” television show.
In 1988, he left La Vieille Maison, and finally opened his own restaurant in Jeffersonville, Vermont called Le Cheval d’Or. Four years later in 1992, the Great Chefs television crew showed up to tape Chef Labbé for the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs of the East television series (episodes # 1, 13 & 25).
Recipes
Quail in Red Wine with Braised Red Cabbage
Serving: 4 Print Quail in Red Wine with Braised Red Cabbage By Great Chefs November 19, 2015 The lovely Cheval d’Or restaurant is at the Windridge Inn, and is the perfect country inn location for Yves Labbé’s country French cuisine. Here he partners quail with a side dish of red cabbage braised with maple syrup, […]
Maple Crêpe Soufflé
Serving: 8 Print Maple Crêpe Soufflé By Great Chefs November 10, 2015 The chef serves this maple-flavored New England dessert in the fall, garnished with vividly colored maple leaves. Many kitchen stores sell paper leaves in the same red tones. The crêpes and maple pastry cream may be prepared up to 2 days in advance […]
Sea Scallops and Salmon Caviar
Serving: 4 Print Sea Scallops and Salmon Caviar By Great Chefs November 10, 2015 Simplicity itself, this appetizer rests its reputation upon the freshness of the sea scallops. Chef Labbe recommends sea scallops harvested by hand by divers off the coast of Maine. Ingredients Sea Scallops – 12 Freshly ground sea salt Salmon Roe – […]
Poached Salmon in White Wine
Serving: 4 Print Poached Salmon in White Wine By Great Chefs November 10, 2015 This is an incredibly easy dish to make, and all it needs to complete the plate is a green vegetable such as steamed asparagus or sauteed zucchini, and some buttered noodles or steamed baby potatoes. Ingredients Unsalted Butter – 2 tablespoons, […]