[3] The boy wanted to follow in his father's trade, but when the business went to his older brother, he turned to cooking, impressed by his mother's devotion to it.

He started his career at age 15 at the Hôtel du Parc in Mulhouse with a three-year apprenticeship, learning all stations of the kitchen.

After military service, he became chef at Chez Hansi in Paris,[3] an Alsatian brasserie[2] where Simone Gomez, his future wife, was a waitress.

[3][4][5] The first review in The New York Times by Craig Claiborne, one month after the opening,[2] described the place as "impressively elegant and conspicuously expensive" and awarded only one star for the food.

[4][5] He served classic dishes such as tournedos Wellington, pied de porc, hot raspberry souffle and petits fours.

It remained one of the highly ranked restaurants in the U.S.[5] Soltner received more than 25 awards, including the French government's Légion d'honneur and Officier du Mérite National.

He was honored with the James Beard Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award,[6] the 1968 Meilleur Ouvrier de France,[3][6] and was a Chevalier du Mérite Agricole.