Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch
Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch (1942 – 30 September 2024) was a French chef perhaps best known for her stint as the first female chef for the President of France.[1]
Culinary career
[edit]From the 1970s, Mazet-Delpeuch was a culinary teacher,[2] and was noted as a pioneer of culinary tourism in France.[3] She eventually got the attention of Joël Robuchon, who recommended her to then French President François Mitterrand. She served as Mitterrand's personal chef from 1988 to 1990.[2] In that role, she cooked dinners for Mitterrand's family, as well as guests such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher.[3]
Ten years after her stint as Mitterrand's chef, Mazet-Delpeuch worked as a cook for a French research base in the Crozet islands for over a year.[4][2][5] She applied for the job after seeing an advertisement online, and despite being told they were not looking for a woman or someone over the age of 50 (Mazet-Delpeuch was 60 at the time), she got the job.[5]
Personal life and death
[edit]Mazet-Delpeuch was a native of the Périgord region of France.[2] She died on 30 September 2024, at the age of 82.[6]
Cultural depiction
[edit]- A character based on Mazet-Delpeuch, named Hortense Laborie, was portrayed by Catherine Frot in the 2012 film Haute Cuisine. In France, the film is known as Les Saveurs du Palais.[5]
Books
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Smallwood, April (23 April 2013). "More than a president's chef". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d Fine, Marshall (20 September 2013). "Interview: Daniele Mazet-Delpeuch's Life in Haute Cuisine". HuffPost. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ a b Peterson, Diane (11 April 2007). "For Daniele Mazet-Delpeuch, tasty, expensive, mysterious fungus is a delight to be shared among friends". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Ode to food's power serves palace intrigue with humanity". 24 April 2013.
- ^ a b c Virbila, S. Irene (17 September 2013). "French film 'Haute Cuisine,' about Mitterrand's private cook, opens Friday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "L'ancienne cuisinière de François Mitterrand, Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, est décédée". Sud Oest. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Review: Les Saveurs du Palais (Haute Cuisine)". Montreal Gazette. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
If you like the film (and I suspect that many people will) you might be interested in Danièle Delpeuch's book, Carnets de cuisine, Du Périgord à l'Elysée, even if the film is based more on her life than on the book.
- ^ "Ma cuisine, de l'Elysée à l'Antarctique". E.Leclerc (in French). Retrieved 26 September 2019.
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