Willy O Rossel

Early life and education

Willy Rossel was born in Tramelan, Switzerland, and had descended from a famous poet who was a statesman named Virgil Rossel. Rossel was one of five brothers and his father, Otto Rossel, was well known watchmaker and collector of pocket watches.

His family had traditionally been watchmakers in Switzerland but Rossel left his family home in Tramelan at the age of 16 to pursue his love for cooking. As a young boy, Rossel remembered going on camping trips with his friends in the woods of Switzerland, where he cooked baked potatoes and spaghetti. At the age of five or six, he would go into the woods to pick mushrooms and berries for cooking. In his teens, he bicycled to cook at a small restaurant in Vien, Switzerland, which was his first job as a cook. During World War II, Rossel served as a Private in the Swiss Army and as a cook.

He received his initial culinary arts training in Zurich, followed by London, Paris, Rome and Venice. He learned cooking from a small book. Each chef he cooked with inscribed the book and then recommend him to the next chef or job as an apprentice cook. This was how he trained as a chef, which was common in Europe.

Early career

Early career endeavors found Rossel as Sous Chef at the famed Savoy Hotel in London, the Excelsior in Florence, Italy, and the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He served as Executive Chef at Tower Isle Hotel in Jamaica, and the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Puerto Rico. Chef Rossel moved to the United States in 1952, and assumed the position of Sous Chef and then Executive Chef at the New Yorker Restaurant and finally The Roosevelt Hotel (Manhattan) in New York City and then Executive Chef at the prestigious Hampshire House, Beacon Hill, Boston.

Executive chef

In 1957, Rossel was named Executive Chef at the Hotel Manhattan and then in 1958, accepted the position of Executive Chef at the new highrise Dallas Sheraton Hotel. Rossel was employed at the Sheraton upon his acceptance of the position of Executive Chef with Braniff International.

Rossel opened up several Sheraton Hotels for them and acted as a Consulting Chef. He negotiated to remain in Dallas, while acting as Consulting Chef and opening new hotels. He also served as Executive Chef at Ports of Call Restaurant at the top of the Sheraton Hotel in Dallas. Rossel also administered the cuisine at the famed Chaparral Club, also at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, which featured White Glove Service. Here, Rossel designed the menus and trained the serving staff with an exactness not normally found in hotel dining.

Highest culinary honor

Rossel received the nation's highest honor for a chef, when he assumed the Presidency of American Culinary Federation in 1962. When Rossel was hired as Braniff's Executive Chef he was only 44 years old but had 25 years of culinary experience.

In 1962, Rossel was appointed President of the American Culinary Federation. This presidential appointment is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Chef in the United States. Rossel was appointed at the 1962 Convention of the Federation which was held in his hometown of Dallas, Texas. The Federation was in dire financial problems when Rossel assumed the Presidency. Rossel asked for $25 USD contributions from the membership and over 120 members responded which allowed the organization to continue forward.

Rosell formed an Advisory Committee with the help of several administrators in the culinary business. The committee was able to obtain a grant of $10,000 USD from the Statler Foundation and the proceeds were used to create a new series of manuals for on-the-job-training for chefs. This was the first manual created that was for the apprenticeship of American Chefs and has remained in use ever since.

In 1963, Rossel traveled to the American Institute of Chefs convention, which was being held in Cleveland, Ohio. The chef hoped to get AIC membership to agree to merge with the American Culinary Federation. This was a successful venture and talks and an eventual merger came to fruition in 1965. Rossel served as the Federation]'s President until 1965, when he was succeeded by Chef John Bandera.

Culinary Olympics United States Team Captain

In 1964, Rossel acted as Captain of the United States team of chefs who took part in and won the International Culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt, Germany. His team won 7 gold medals in 1964, and he took another team to the 1980 InternationalCulinary Olympics.

Braniff Airways Executive Chef

On November 5, 1965, Braniff International appointed Willy O. Rossel as the airline's Executive Chef. The appointment of an Executive Chef was as a result of the overhaul of Braniff's image and its desire to ensure that its inflight meal service was second-to-none in the industry. Braniff Vice President of Customer Services John Kersey announced the appointment of Rossel in Dallas. Rossel was responsible for directing the preparation of all meals for all flights throughout the Braniff system.

On November 6, 1965, Braniff International presented to the public and media the carrier's revolutionary new look and promotion campaign dubbed End of the Plain Plane created by the New York advertising think tank of Jack Tinker and Partners. The new image for Braniff was created under the guidance of advertising maven Mary Wells. A strategic part of the new campaign was to improve Braniff's already exemplary Silver and Gold inflight service. To achieve this task, the carrier announced the appointment of Rossel.

Service levels were enhanced with the arrival of 14-passenger Douglas DC-2 twin-engine aircraft, purchased from TWA, in June 1937, which required an attendant to be on board. Braniff hired four young women in the Spring of 1937, who became the airline's first inflight hostesses. Ms. Rebecca Garza is considered to be the first Braniff Hostess. The four original Hostesses were joined by four additional attendants within a couple of weeks and began training in May 1937. Braniff touted Southwestern Hospitality on Wings in its advertising that announced arrival of the new Hostesses who instead served sandwiches and beverages on trays rather than in boxes.

In 1956, Braniff International Airways introduced an elegant inflight service experience appropriately named Silver Service. The new inflight accommodation was debuted on Braniff's inaugural Douglas DC-6 non-stop service from Texas to New York on February 15, 1956. Braniff Silver Service was a brilliant new First Class Service that was guaranteed to please the most discriminating passenger and tantalize the palette with exemplary tastes. Real silver trays and serviceware were used to serve beverages and meals. The beautifully designed Silver Service Menu included a special souvenir gift such as two silver hors d' oeuvres picks from Lima, Peru attached to the inside cover.

Silver Service began a Braniff tradition of service that elevated the carrier far above other airlines and proved to be the choice of discriminating air travelers. A similar service was implemented on South American routes, called Gold Service, in 1957. Gold Service was featured exclusively on Braniff International Airways Douglas DC-6 and DC-7C airliners traveling to and from the US Mainland and Latin America.

Braniff International Board of Chefs

With the arrival of Rossel in November 1965, Braniff International began a new era of providing the absolute finest onboard service and cuisine for its customers who were predominantly business travelers. In 1966, a Braniff International Board of Chefs was created and headed by Rossel. The Board consisted of Chefs from four of the most prestigious restaurant establishments in the world and included Roger Piaget of La Pavilion of Peru; Alex Cardini, Cardini's of Mexico City; Federico Buecker of The German Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and from the Alexander Girard designed restaurant, La Fonda del Sol, New York, came Felix Meir.

The chefs were asked to "prepare airline food that will taste as good as the food you serve in your own celebrated restaurants." Braniff International declared war on soggy toast, overcooked steak, and cold hors d'oeuvres, which were just a few of the delicacies that had plagued airline chefs of the past. It was a massive success with a further improvement of Braniff's already exemplary fare. Once again, advertising was aimed at Braniff's chief customer, the male business traveler, which stated that the airline was committed to Our Battle For Men's Stomachs.

Braniff Ultra Service

Rossel remained with Braniff until 1980, and oversaw the most prestigious inflight airline service program ever introduced, Braniff International's Ultra Service. Because of Chef Rossel, Braniff International's inflight experience was critically acclaimed and became the talk of the town.

Ultra Service was the highest expression of the art of inflight airline service introduced on all Braniff International flights beginning in 1977. Ultra Service was an integral part of the airline's new Elegance Campaign that was announced in late 1976, and introduced in February 1977. Famed restaurant and culinary critics from around the world lauded Chef Rossel and Braniff International for the new heights of sumptuous cuisine and exemplary serving methods that were cornerstone's of the new Ultra Service. It was one of Braniff International's and Chef Rossel's finest hours.

Pan Am Executive Chef

In 1982, Rossel was appointed Executive Chef and Food Service Director at Pan American World Airways, in Miami, Florida. Pan Am's Chairman was Charles Edward Acker who was the former President of Braniff Airways until 1975. Former Braniff President Harding Lawrence was also consulting for Pan Am and his wife advertising]] doyenne Mary Wells Lawrence's advertising firm Wells Rich Greene was Pan Am's agency. This group of talented people were responsible for Chef Rossel's appointment at Braniff in 1965, and welcomed him to the Pan Am family.

Once again, the chef was responsible for overseeing the planning and preparation for every meal served throughout Pan Am's global system. Chef Rossel retired from Pan Am in 1985.

After Pan Am, he continued his airline career at Wien Air Alaska, as Executive Chef for the airline. Rossel consulted for several airlines during the remainder of the 1990s. In addition to Braniff International, Pan Am and Wien Air Alaska, Chef Rossel also consulted on culinary matters with Air Florida, Continental Airlines, American Airlines, Canadian Pacific Airlines, and United Airlines.

Honors and memberships

Braniff International Board of Chefs - Chairman, 1965 - 1980 American Culinary Federation Educational Institute - Chairman, 1967 American Culinary Federation - President, 1963 - 1965 American Academy of Chefs - Inducted to Culinary Hall of Fame, 1995 Executive Chef de Cuisine of America - Member Les Anis D'Escouffier - Member La Chaine Des Rotisseurs - Member Societe Culinaire Philantropique - Member

Quotes

"The most important ingredient necessary is for any individual human being,to really have the knowledge of the goals you set for yourself.This is foremost, it will give you significance, consequence with pleasure and fulfillment and above all a good lively hood.Once you made the first step with determination and confidence in yourself, you will climb the mountain with success.Of course, like any recipe, it is composed of many first class products necessary to prepare a memorable meal that your guest will never forget." Chef Willy Rossel in a letter to the Lone Star Chef Organization of Texas. The letter contained his Recipe For Becoming A Great Chef.

Personal life

Willy Rossel was married to Mafalda Gianini, his first wife, with whom they had two children, Claudia and Suzanne. He divorced Mafalda in 1957. He married his third wife, Leona Jean Wadler Rossel, in 1963. Following the death of Leona in 1990, he married Jeanette, who died in 2006.

During retirement he traveled to Cairo to serve in the Retired Executive Corp. While there, he helped restaurateurs to develop tourism by helping them get their cook kitchens up to 4-star standard. He did this for two six month stints. Many executives from around the world took part in the program. Rossel served in the Reitred Executive Corp after he left Pan Am, during 1986 and 1987.

He served as Head Historian for American Culinary Federation, until 2013. Rossel donated the archives of his life's work were placed with Auburn University in March 2001.

Rossel continued to cook throughout his 80s and 90s. He moved to Edinburg, Texas, and was living with his life-partner Krista Holmes. In 2015 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in September 2015.