Georgiana Viou

Georgiana Viou (born 1977) is a chef from Benin. Viou specializes in Mediterranean cuisine with an African touch. In 2023, she became the first black female chef in France to be awarded a Michelin star. She is a judge for MasterChef France and a cookbook author.

Biography

Early life and education Georgiana Viou was born in 1977 in Cotonou, Benin. Growing up in Benin, she learned to cook from her mother. She moved to Paris at age 22 to study languages at the Sorbonne. Her dream was to be a conference translator. With the birth of her first child, she rekindled her fascination with cooking, and soon began to gain experience by working in restaurant kitchens.

After graduation, she moved to Marseille, where she worked in a communications agency during the day and in restaurants at night, where she began to develop her cooking skills. In 2015, Viou opened Chez Georgiana, but it closed the next year after differences with investors. At Rouge she was awarded the prestigious Grand de Demain award from Gault & Millau. This year she additionally published her second book, Le goût de Cotonou, ma cuisine du Bénin.

In 2022, she returned to television for the new series of MasterChef France, this time as a judge.

In 2023, Rouge and head chef Viou received a Michelin star. With the honor, Viou became the first black female chef in France to be awarded a Michelin star. She was the only single woman chef to receive a Michelin star in 2023.

Publications

2011 Géorgiana - Ma cuisine de Marseille 2021 Le goût de Cotonou - Ma cuisine du Bénin