Léa Bidaut (17 May 1908 – 30 May 1996), known as , was a French cook and '' Lyon Mère''.Relevé généalogique (INSEE death certificate)
, ''Geneanet''. In French. Retrieved 22 May 2022 A well-known representative of the Lyonnaise cuisine, she began her career in 1927 working during her teens for wealthy people in her hometown such as the industrial Schneider family before moving to Lyon. From 1938, Bidaut ran her first restaurant, later known as "Daniel et Denise", in the Rue Tupine,

Place Bellecour Place Bellecour is a large square in the centre of Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m (62,000 m² or 15 acres), it is one of the largest open squares (without any patches of greenery or trees) in ...

, Lyon, for four years. She opened her restaurant "La Voûte chez Léa" nearby in 1943; it received a star in the

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

. She was known for walking round the stalls of the Saint-Antoine market on the quay next to her restaurant, pushing her cart emblazoned with a sign "" (Attention, weak woman, but big mouth). She ended her tours of the market without spending hardly any money, and she did wonders with very little, especially her asparagus tips. She joined the

Les Toques Blanches Lyonnaises () is an organization that was founded in 1936 by 7 renowned chefs from the Lyon area, including the founder and first president of the organization, . The organization's goals are to unite cooks and pastry chefs to preserve and maintain the cul ...

in 1978. The restaurant was taken over in January 1980 by chef Philippe Rabatel and she retired in 1981. The restaurant was sold in 2013 to partners Christian Morel, Michelin-starred chef Christian Têtedoie, and sommelier Laurence Ginet. As of 2022 the restaurant is still in operation.

Specialties

Bidaut followed the traditions of Lyon's famous female cooks – the '' Mères lyonnaises'' – in avoiding over-elaborate dishes, preferring to offer fairly simple food of the highest quality. In addition to her specialty,

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , "sour cabbage") is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferme ...

with champagne, the restaurant was famous for its potato paillasson, chicken in vinegar, the orange-flavoured rabbit leg, and the macaroni gratin, a recipe which she taught Mère Brazier.

Specialties

References

Further reading