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.

Culinary career From the 1970s, Mazet-Delpeuch was a culinary teacher, 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. 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. She died on 30 September 2024, at the age of 82.

Cultural depiction 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. Ma cuisine, de l'Elysée à l'Antarctique (2016)