Female chefs in Paris, France and beyond

[cindym]

I'm wondering how many notable female chefs are working in Paris at the moment. I did some light Googling and found Flora Mikula, Helene Darroze, and Caroline Rostang. There must be others that I am missing...can anybody add to my list?

Thanks.

[robert brown]

Olympe.

[John Talbott]

I'm wondering how many notable female chefs are working in Paris

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There are many more, but the newest was announced yesterday in Figaro - Fauchon has hired Fumiko, an inventive woman-chef who held private dinners that captivated le tout Paris.

[bleudauvergne]

I'm wondering how many notable female chefs are working in Paris at the moment.  I did some light Googling and found Flora Mikula, Helene Darroze, and Caroline Rostang.  There must be others that I am missing...can anybody add to my list?

Thanks.

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Don't forget Ghislaine Arabian - definitely notable.

[John Talbott]

I'm wondering how many notable female chefs are working in Paris at the moment.  I did some light Googling and found Flora Mikula, Helene Darroze, and Caroline Rostang.  There must be others that I am missing...can anybody add to my list?

Thanks.

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Don't forget Ghislaine Arabian - definitely notable.

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Is she back? Where? I see her TV/book/catering stuff but no resto.

[bleudauvergne]

It would be good to know. She had a very strange ideas of how to staff her kitchen from what I understand. She is considered to be France's top female chef and is working out of Paris, yes?

[raisab]

Catherine Guerrez of Chez Catherine.

[John Talbott]

It would be good to know.  She had a very strange ideas of how to staff her kitchen from what I understand.  She is considered to be France's top female chef and is working out of Paris, yes?

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Oh yes, she's back here from her exile (for that story, you'll have consult court records and/or local gossips). I think she's legally allowed to open a place now but I've seen no firm word (lots of Elvis-type sightings and mentions in Croque Notes-type articles) or opening announcements that I know of.

[cindym]

Thanks. This has been very helpful. I will certainly check out some of these places while I am living here.

[John Talbott]

Thanks.  This has been very helpful.  I will certainly check out some of these places while I am living here.

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If you're here, you might want to go to the Figaro archives, because they did an article/Dossier on female chefs within the past three years.

Also I forgot Georgette at her eponymous place and Paula as well.

In addition, if you added the head women in the kitchen (eg at Ze, Lucullus etc.) well, you'd have a list.

Edited by John Talbot to avoid overposting.

[John Talbott]

Well well, Amazon.fr lists that "Elles sont chefs" and "Great women chefs of Europe" by Gilles Pudlowski were to have been released 16 septembre 2005 by Relié. I've never heard of dual publications like that but......there's always a first time.

Amazon.com, however says the English title will not appear til October 25th and will mention: Héléne Darroze and Anne-Sophie Pic as well as Olympe.

[seanw]

Christine Ferber. nuff said

[John Talbott]

Yet another article and list from l'Express:

Hélène Darroze, chef étoilée

Akiko Ida, photographe gastronomique

Julie Andrieu, journaliste culinaire

Christine Ferber, pâtissière

Valérie Lhomme, styliste culinaire

Linda Grabe, sommelière

Sonia Ezgulian, cuisinière

[John Talbott]

Another list came from last week's ParuVendu and included: Helene Darroze, Chez Catherine Guerraz, Cathy Vidalenc at Le Reveil du 10eme, Flora Mikula, Dominique Versini at Casa Olympe, Adrienne Biasin at Chez la Vieille, Alice Bardet at Le Point Bar and Iza Guyot at Le Casier a Vin.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Ginette Boyer's 'le Petit Tonneau'? Simple but adorable.

[fresh_a]

Ghislaine Arabian is still in Japan as far as I heard. Also, didn't know that Ms. Rostang actually cooked. Thought she just ran L'Absinthe...

[John Talbott]

Ghislaine Arabian is still in Japan as far as I heard.

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Wednesday/Thursday, Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote two articles, one entitled “Intimate Service” about catered meals at home that featured: Ghislane Arabian, now head of “production” of Passion Traiteur, 145, bvd de Valmy in Colombes, 01.46.49.45.50 who has 50 cooks and 40 pastry chefs under her.

[Busboy]

Ghislaine Arabian is still in Japan as far as I heard.

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Wednesday/Thursday, Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote two articles, one entitled “Intimate Service” about catered meals at home that featured: Ghislane Arabian, now head of “production” of Passion Traiteur, 145, bvd de Valmy in Colombes, 01.46.49.45.50 who has 50 cooks and 40 pastry chefs under her.

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Ribaut must be wife-hunting or something -- or maybe he just has a soft spot for women who can weild a cleaver -- but he had another piece this week featuring women chefs here..

Featured are Rougi Dia, just 29 and of Senegalese descent, who is apparently putting out excellent modern twists on classic preparations at the quite pricy Petrossian in the 7th; and Sarah Peronnet who is whipping up wonderful stuff in a Lyonnaise-type bouchon in the shadow of Notre Dame. The article appears to imply that both may get a nod in the next Guide Michelin (though, my French is lousy and I may be wrong).

Meanwhile, fellow LeMondien Stephan Davet waxes poetic in a feature piece about Helen Darroze,here..

Could there be a trend?

[John Talbott]

Ribaut must be wife-hunting or something -- or maybe he just has a soft spot for women who can weild a cleaver -- but he had another piece this week featuring women chefs here..

Featured are Rougi Dia, just 29 and of Senegalese descent, who is apparently putting out excellent modern twists on classic preparations at the quite pricy Petrossian in the 7th; and Sarah Peronnet who is whipping up wonderful stuff in a Lyonnaise-type bouchon in the shadow of Notre Dame.  The article appears to imply that both may get a nod in the next Guide Michelin (though, my French is lousy and I may be wrong).

Meanwhile, fellow LeMondien Stephan Davet waxes poetic in a feature piece about Helen Darroze,here..

Could there be a trend?

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Charles beat me to the punch; of note is that Rougui Dia is responsible for tonight's Orthodox Christmas dinner of 11 hour lamb, curried shrimp, rascasse and mango tarte tatin and that Sarah Péronnet, who despite her training in Britain and Canada returns to Lyonnais favorites such as boeuf bourguignon with caramelized onions, lardons and mushrooms, head cheese and quenelles.

[John Talbott]

Just to give this old thread some legs, today’s Figaro had an article and Top Five devoted to women chefs and among those not mentioned above were:

Hermance Carro, on TV’s M6 Tuesdays at 8:50 PM (sort of a daughter of Cyril Lignac’s “Oui Chef")

Celia Jiminez of Chez Lafayette Gourmet

Sophie Dudemaine & Trish Deseign, who make Cordon Bleu-level recipes available to those cooking at home

Anne Sophie Pic

Mari Tanaka at Alain Ducasse,

Gabrielle Jones - young chef winner of the 2006 award,

Reine Sammut of the cooking school Le Passage

In addition, while if you click on Charles's link you'll read about Sarah Peronnet of Le Vieux Bistrot, but she deserves to be listed here as well.

Also mentioned was Michele Duby’s book Les Femmes Chefs.

[Ptipois]

As the old French game goes, "cherchez l'intrus". Two of the women listed in the article are not chefs. Will you, dear reader, locate them?

[John Talbott]

As the old French game goes, "cherchez l'intrus". Two of the women listed in the article are not chefs. Will you, dear reader, locate them?

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Ah well, don't blame Le Figaro, chalk it up to my nonexistent French translation skills.

Also, for the record, this week's A Nous Paris had a profile by Philippe Toinard of Fumiko Kono, Japanese-born chef at Fauchon where she serves up a 39 € menu at lunch.

[John Talbott]

Coinciding with Anne Sophie Pic’s elevation to three stars in the Michelin, Jean Claude Ribaut in Le Monde summarizes Gilles Pudlowski’s book on female chefs called Elles sont chefs, Flammarion, already mentioned but not on this thread. Those mentioned are both historical and current figures:

Mere Brazier

Lea Linster (in Luxembourg)

Anne Sophie Pic

Fernande Allard

Adrienne Biasin

Reine Sammut (Lourmarin)

Fatema Hal (La Mansouria, Paris)

Judith Baumann (Switzerland)

Nadia Santini (Italy)

Flora Mikula

Johanna Maier (Austria)

Lydia Egloff (Lorraine)

Nicole Fagegaltier (Belcastel, Aveyron)

Hélène Darroze

[Ptipois]

The greatest woman chef I've ever met never got the fame she deserved: Marie Naël, from the now disappeared restaurant Écaille et Plume, in Paris (7e). Now she gives cooking classes.

(There are quite a few names missing from Pudlo's list.)

[John Talbott]

(There are quite a few names missing from Pudlo's list.)

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Just so poor Pudlo doesn't get blamed for an incomplete list; this was what Ribault summarized from Pudlo's book.

Indeed, the week of April 10th, Alexandra Michot's article's list of females in the food business, based on Michele Duby’s Les Femmes Chefs and Gilles Pudlowski’s Elles sont chefs was summarized in the Digest as follows:

Helene Darroze, Roughi Dia of Petrossian, Hermance Carro, star of TV’s M6 Tuesdays at 8:50 PM (sort of a daughter of Cyril Lignac’s “Oui Chef”), Caroline Rostang of l’Absinthe + Jarrasse, Fumiko Kono of Fauchon, Celia Jiminez of Chez Lafayette Gourmet, the women writers who make Cordon Bleu recipes available to those cooking at home – Julie Andrieu, Sophie Dudemaine & Trish Deseign {where pray tell is our own Ptit Pois aka Sophie Brissaud?}, Anne Sophie Pic, Chez Catherine Guerraz, Mari Tanaka at Alain Ducasse, Gabrielle Jones - young chef winner of the 2006 award, Flora Mikula, and Reine Sammut of the cooking school Le Passage.