Le Restaurant, C'est Moi

Gourmets and plain expense-account diners in Manhattan last week were confronted with a tragedy as grave as the separation of sauce hollandaise--an eruption of Gallic temperament that temporarily closed Le Pavilion, considered by many the best French restaurant in the U.S. and by all check signers, among the most expensive (consomme: $2). In a fit of pique, Pierre Franey quit as Le Pavilion's head chef after Owner Henri Soule demanded that he cut five hours of overtime off the work week of the kitchen staff in order to slash the operating expenses of the restaurant. An artist of the kitchen, Franey refused, said: "If I do it, my men quit on me. They are underpaid, getting the minimum. You cannot shave eggs. It's got no hair."

Fuming about staff disloyalty ("Here it is like Algeria"), Soule lamented that half of his $6,500 weekly payroll went to kitchen help, said: "It's too much." Some five years ago he had to cut back to a five-day week to avoid overtime expenses. Today, the unionized chefs are paid from $100 to $225 weekly; Franey got $300.

The feud ended a stormy relationship that began in 1939 at the New York World's Fair. Soule, who ran the French restaurant in Flushing Meadow, hired Franey as a poissonier (fish chef). After the fair, Soule decided to open Le Pavilion, and brought along Franey. Seven years ago, he made Franey head chef, told him: "You and I are getting married. It's going to be very stormy, but we have no right to part." But last week the marriage was on the rocks. Choked Soule: "He was like a son to me. But now M. Franey is a fresh little man." Soule went out looking for a new chef, plans to reopen soon.

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