Marie Bourgeois (1870-1937) was a French

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

who gained three Michelin stars from 1933 to 1937 for her restaurant in

Priay Priay () is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. Population People from Priay are known as ''Priaysiens'' in French. See also *Communes of the Ain department The following is a list of ...

in the Ain region, France.

Biography

Marie Bourgeois was born in Villette-sur-Ain in 1870. In the 1920s, she settled in a modest restaurant with her husband in Priay in the Ain region, 60 kilometers northeast of

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. In 1923, Bourgeois was the first woman to receive the award of the

Club des Cent The Club des Cent ("Club of One Hundred") brings together distinguished gastronomes such as Curnonsky, Henri Gault, Christian Millau and Doyon. This club is also known as the Compagnons de Cocagne. As its name indicates, the Club has exactly on ...

. In 1927, she won first culinary prize in Paris and, six years later, in 1933, she received three stars from the Michelin Guide and kept them for four consecutive years. Her best-known recipes were hot pie, fresh frogs and the

floating island A floating island is a mass of floating aquatic plants, mud, and peat ranging in thickness from several centimeters to a few meters. Sometimes referred to as ''tussocks'', ''floatons'', or ''suds'', floating islands are found in many parts of t ...

with pink pralines. After her death in 1937, her daughter took over her restaurant until 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourgeois, Marie 1870 births 1937 deaths French women chefs Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants People from Ain Chefs from Lyon