Institut Paul Bocuse renames itself Institut Lyfe

The legendary French culinary school Institut Paul Bocuse has dropped the name of the famous chef and rebranded itself Lyfe – ‘Lyon for excellence’.

The institute’s director, Dominique Giraudier, said the renaming was part of the school’s bid to “become the international reference for training of excellence” in the hotel and restaurant industry. However, it has been suggested the name change is down to a row between the school and the famous chef’s son, Jérôme Bocuse, who sued the school for misusing his father’s name and registering the name in China without telling him.

Lyfe, in Écully, to the west of Lyon, was founded in 1991 by Paul Bocuse and Gérard Pélisson, the co-founder of the Accor hotel group. It has 1,200 students of 74 nationalities.

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In a statement, Institut Lyfe said: “Short, inclusive and international, this new name reaffirms the roots of the Institute, its roots in Lyon, capital of French Gastronomy and Art de vivre since 1935 and reflects the richness of the school dedicated to the reinvention of tradition.”

As well as being one of the pioneers of nouvelle cuisine, Paul Bocuse also gave his name to the Bocuse d’Or competition, widely considered to be the world championships for chefs. He was 91 when he died in 2018 in the room above his restaurant, L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or – the very same room in which he was born.

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