You arrive at a prestigous restaurant in France and you see in the menu, “Poultry in half mourning” or “Beautiful lobster of the dawn” Would you order those dishes? After reading the story of Eugénie Brazier, you should do.
Eugénie Brazier
Eugénie was not only a pioneer in obtaining the stars awarded by the Michelin Guide, but was the first person in the world to obtain 3 stars twice, simultaneously for each of her both restaurants. This challenge implies that to get the first star, the candidate receives four visits from national inspectors. The second star is awarded after ten visits by both national and French inspectors. And the third star is automatically achieved after the thorough scrutiny of international inspectors.
Let’s get to know a little about the history of Eugénie.
- Born in France on June 12, 1895
- She loses her mother at 10
- At 20 she becomes a mother
- At the beginning of World War I, Brazier begins to work as a babysitter of the Lyon family, the makers of the famous Les Millat pasta
- Change jobs and start a new story at the Mère Filloux restaurant, where she not only continues to learn cooking, but also learns how to run a business
- In 1921 she became independent and opened her own restaurant, La Mère Brazier. The opening day, the star dishes were “Crab with Mayonnaise” and “Pigeon with Peas”
- She opens a second restaurant in 1928
- In 1933, Eugénie receives the prestigious Michelin star distinction for each of her restaurants
- Brazier’s most famous dishes include “Beautiful Lobster of Dawn”, with brandy and cream, and “Poultry in Mourning”, in which slices of truffle are inserted between the meat and the skin before the bird cooked in some liquid. It is said that she was very demanding when choosing the products for her dishes.
Eugénie died on March 2, 1977, at the age of 81. Her only recipe book was printed in 2009, which Eugénie started in 1975 and could never see it finished. In 2003, a street was named with her name, the closest one to her restaurant.
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References:
Lopez Alberto (June 12, 2018) Eugénie Brazier, ‘La Madre’ de la cocina francesa tradicional. El Pais. Retrieved on September 21, 2019 from: https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/06/12/actualidad/1528784408_171395.html
Centeno Lorena. Eugénie Brazier, la dama de la cocina francesa. Cocina y Vino. Retrieved on September 21, 2019 from: https://www.cocinayvino.com/mundo-gourmet/eugenie-brazier-cocina-francesa/
Stubley Peter (June 12, 2018) Eugénie Brazier: Five things you didn’t know about the ground-breaking French Chef. Independent. Retrieved on September 21, 2019 from: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/eugenie-brazier-chef-la-mere-michelin-stars-france-french-google-doodle-a8394406.html