Pierre Remi Labeau

LONDONDERRY  Pierre Remi Labeau passed away peacefully Saturday, January 4 at Mountain View nursing home in Rutland after a brief illness.

Pierre was born in Beni-Mellal, Morocco October 18, 1949 to Paul Labeau and Marcelle Gratadour. He spent his early childhood living in Casablanca and Agadir Morocco and at the age of 13 the family moved to Paris. At 15 Pierre went to work in a hotel as an apprentice and has been cooking ever since. After culinary school he served one year in the French military where he was immediately put into the kitchen to work, after leaving the military he moved to Andorra and opened a restaurant with his mother. In 1974 he came to New York City to work after his younger brother and sister moved there. He sold the restaurant, and he bought a one-way ticket. He worked and lived in New York City for a time and then decided to move out to the Hamptons in New York where he worked at various restaurants.  In 1979 he came to Vermont to see the foliage with his then sous chef Kevin Hogan, they stayed at the Jamaica house. The owners of Jamaica house said there’s a restaurant up the road, looking for help you should go see them, thus began his winters of living in Vermont cooking at the Red Fox Inn and then working in the Hamptons in the summer. He met his wife Tina in 1981. They got married in 1982 and he would tell you that that she’s the reason he was stuck in Vermont for the rest of his life. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1983. Pierre worked at several different restaurants the Kandahar, The Londonderry Inn before he settled at Johnny Seesaws, where he worked for 23 years starting out as a breakfast cook and then working as a chef for 20 years, upon the closing of Johnny Seesaws he went to work at the Dorset Field Club and then went back to The Red Fox Inn for a couple of seasons and then worked at Bromley Market.  Pierre was predeceased by his parents, his oldest sister Dominique, his in-laws Red & Ada Pearson and a brother-in-law Chuck Pearson and a half-brother Thierry.  He survived by his wife, Tina, their daughter Elizabeth, his brother Phillipe & his wife Rachel, his sister Catherine, in-laws Bev & Randy Foster, Barry & Cindy Pearson, Bruce & Donna Pearson and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Mountain View nursing home and Bayada hospice for all their care.  No services will be held at this time. Memorial donations may be made to first Baptist church of South Londonderry kitchen fund P.O. Box 278 South Londonderry VT 05155. A service will be held later at the family’s convenience.

Arrangements are under the direction of Clifford Funeral Home.