Marcel Desaulniers

Marcel Desaulniers (August 2, 1945 - May 28, 2024) was an American chef, restaurant owner, cookbook author, director Emeritus of the Culinary Institute of America, and self-described "Guru of Ganache". He is the author of the 1992 book Death by Chocolate.

Personal life Desaulniers was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and resided in Williamsburg, VA with his wife Connie, an artist. He graduated from Mount Saint Charles Academy in 1963, and from the Culinary Institute of America in 1965. He served in the United States Marine Corps and was a Vietnam veteran.

His daughter, Danielle Desaulniers, a respected sommelier and restaurant consultant, also trained at the Culinary Institute of America. She has worked at San Francisco's One Market Restaurant, New York City's Restaurant Daniel, Café Boulud, Ducasse, and Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House.

Professional life

Businesses In 1980 Desaulniers, along with his business partner, John Curtis, opened The Trellis restaurant in Colonial Williamsburg's Merchants Square. In 1997, he opened an 'experimental' food and art studio in Williamsburg called Ganache Hill. He and his partner sold The Trellis to chef David Everett, proprietor of the Blue Talon Bistro, after 29 years of operation. In 1995, the restaurant was inducted into the 'Nation's Restaurant News' Fine Dining Hall of Fame. It offered sweet and savory treats, including cookies, cakes, and ice cream, and served as a gallery for Connie's art. The couple sold the business in February 2016.

Television He hosted several television cooking shows including "The Burgermeister" and "Death by Chocolate" and has appeared on Julia Child's television show, Baking with Julia and on PBS' cooking shows Cook-off America and Grilling Maestros.

Cookbooks Desaulniers wrote 10 cooking books including Death by Chocolate (1992). His concentration on chocolate cuisine and his fondness for chocolate ganache earned him the sobriquet "Guru of Ganache."

Awards and honors Ivy Award: The Trellis, Restaurants and Institutions Magazine, 1989 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, James Beard Foundation, 1993 Best Pastry Chef: Mid-Atlantic James Beard Foundation Best Dessert Book, James Beard Foundation, 1993 Best Single Subject Cookbook: The Burger Meisters, James Beard Foundation, 1995 Lifetime Achievement Award, Culinary Institute of America, 1996 Outstanding Pasty Chef, James Beard Foundation, 1999 Honor Roll of American Chefs, Food & Wine Magazine