Andre Surmain (December 5, 1920, Cairo - January 31, 2018, Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, France[1]) was a restaurateur who opened Lutèce in 1961.
He announced his retirement in 1973 at age 52, selling Lutèce to its chef André Soltner.
[1] Prior to the Battle of Normandy in 1944, he “changed his surname to Surmain, fearing that the name Sussman might give him away as Jewish if he were caught by the Nazis.”[1] He was educated at Lycée Janson de Sailly in Paris and the French artillery school in Fontainebleau.
Drafted by the American military, he was sent back to Europe by the Office of Strategic Services.
[1] After his death, he was survived by his fourth wife, the former Patricia Terno, two sons and a daughter, two sisters, 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.