Gwenael Goulet, Chef/Owner of French Restaurant Buffet de la Gare, Succumbs to Cancer at 61

Gwenael Goulet, Chef/Owner of Buffet de la Gare in Hastings-on-Hudson, passed away on July 19 – his bout with cancer lost at the age of 61. The restaurant will continue in business and will reopen on July 26. However it normally closes for the month of August in keeping with French tradition. 

Born and schooled in cooking in France, he arrived in America from Paris with his wife Annie in 1979. The following year, they bought Buffet de la Gare, began applying touches of Goulet's inventiveness to traditionally unalterable French classic dishes, and sold the restaurant in 2005 to Luc and Nicole Dimnet because of Goulet's illness. But after the business faltered, the Goulets repurchased it from the Dimnets in 2008 and closed the restaurant for serious renovation.

Several months after reopening, Goulet received lavish praise from The New York Times critic Emily DeNitto who described Buffet de la Gare as "an enchanting Old World haven of classic French cuisine" with "revered dishes," and "perfectly seasoned" entrees. 

Many of the restaurant's appetizers, entrees and desserts have stood the test of time. A number of the dishes on the current menu were mentioned and recommended in a 2004 review printed in The New York Times including escargots, foie gras frais de canard au naturel, sweetbread, roasted duck, lobster bisque and crème brûlée. 

Maud Tucker, whose restaurant Maud's Tavern has been Buffet de la Gare's neighbor for 18 years, called him "a man of incredible spirit." She named a hamburger on her menu the "Gwenael Burger" after Goulet (it's served with blu cheese) and mentioned that Goulet had been sick for about ten years. "Our families have been very close," she said. "My sister was the babysitter for Gwenael and Annie's children." 

"He will surely be missed," said Jill Rose, Chef/Owner of Chiboust, a French bistro restaurant in Tarrytown, NY. "He was one of the good ones."  

The chef leaves behind his wife, Annie, son Gwendal and daughter Stephanie.

A mass was conducted on April 23 at St. Matthew Church in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Buffet de la Gare is a romantic bistro-style eatery adorned with antiques. It can accommodate about 40 people downstairs and approximately 30 in a private dining room on the second floor. It is located at 155 Southside Ave. in Hastings on Hudson. 914-478-1671.