Serve it Up: The (Somewhat) Choleric Chef
Name: Albert de Soulffle
Nicknames: None
Occupation: Head Chef at Le Soulffle Restaurant
Born: March 7, 1938, in Paris, France
Died: September 30, 2006, in San Francisco, CA, US
Spouse: None
Children: None
Favorite Foods: French cuisine, grilled salmon
Hobbies: Watching cooking shows, listening to music
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"I'll show you how I run things around here! Let's hope you can stand the heat, little green man!"
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Chef Albert (pronounced al-BEAR) de Soulffle was born into an upper-middle class family in Paris, France on March 7, 1938. His mom was a patron of the arts, and his dad was a sous chef at a popular restaurant. Little Albert's life was upended in 1940 when the family fled to America to escape the oppressive Vichy government, settling in Sacramento, California. Fortunately, Albert's dad knew enough English to get a job preparing meals at an upscale restaurant called The Firehouse.
By the time Albert was in middle school, he already knew that he wanted to be a chef, just like his dad. He was a big help in the family kitchen, measuring out ingredients and patiently learning how to whisk, chop, simmer and preheat. After talking it over with his parents, it was agreed that Albert would complete his undergraduate studies in California before attending culinary school in France. The fact that he was fluent in both English and French didn't hurt in the slightest.
In 1960, Albert received his Bachelor of Science Degree at UC Berkeley and returned to Paris to attend culinary school as his parents saw him off. He graduated at the top of his class in 1964, and then he went to work at the same restaurant where his dad was previously employed. Frequently, he wrote letters to his parents, describing his progress, the setbacks he encountered and the friends he made. Thanks to his skills as a chef, along with his dad's tutelage, Albert rose through the ranks, and in 1972, he was promoted to sous chef.
In 1975, Chef Soulffle decided it was time to branch out. That summer, he opened his own restaurant, Le Soulffle, which ironically attracted customers from his old place of business. Le Soulffle was initially a four-star restaurant, but it received its coveted fifth star after a celebrated critic visited in 1979 and was served a dish which triggered a pleasant childhood memory. With that, Soulffle and his restaurant shot to stardom.
Throughout the 1980s, Soulffle opened more outlets in Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy and cities all over the United States. His mom and dad were present at the grand opening of Le Soulffle in Sacramento. In 1990, he briefly withdrew from the public eye when his parents died.
Soulffle was friendly to his employees and guests, but he was also known to have a bit of a temper. Outbursts, however, were mainly private, and they were few and far between. Soulffle was always remorseful after flying off the handle, personally apologizing to whoever he offended and offering a free meal at his restaurant. His culinary genius was so great that it was difficult for people to stay mad at him.
In 2001, Soulffle announced the sale of his restaurant and was given a farewell party fit for a king. He retired to a quiet life in San Francisco, California, writing memoirs and cookbooks and reflecting on his impact on culinary circles. On September 30, 2006, he died of heart failure at the age of 68.
As a ghost, Soulffle opted to continue his culinary journey, dropping in on restaurants across the globe. At one such restaurant in the UK in 2018, Hellen Gravely was one of the patrons. Having enjoyed his cooking, Hellen offered Soulffle a job as Head Chef of her hotel's fancy restaurant. Little did he know that his actual purpose was to rid his new employer's idol of a certain man in green—
On that fateful day in October 2019, Soulffle was in the restaurant's kitchen, grilling some salmon, oblivious to the fact that he was about to overcook it. Luigi and Gooigi arrived and cleared the smoke away with their Poltergusts, getting the ghostly chef's attention. When Luigi told Soulffle about the smoke, the latter's hot temper roared to life as he took the precaution as a personal insult. He proceeded to attack Luigi by chucking raw fish at him and swinging a large, heavy frying pan, but Luigi countered by using various fruits and his Suction Shot to knock away the frying pan and give him a chance to vacuum up Soulffle. The man in green emerged from that battle breathless and bruised, but victorious.
Following the adventure, Soulffle decided to let bygones be bygones, aiding in the construction of the new hotel and becoming Head Chef of its on French restaurant. He remains hard at work to this day, personally seeing about his customers and making sure that the food and atmosphere exceed their expectations.