Mère (, ) is an honorary title given to talented female professional cooks, many of whom had no formal training, in France during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Between 1759 and the end of the 20th century multiple women have been called Mère. Their work turned the city 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 ...

and its environs into the gastronomic center of France and the world, and the most famous of them, Mère Brazier, is regarded as "the mother of modern French cooking".

History

The first mentions of a Mère were in 1759 when Mère Guy, who cooked at an inn on the banks of the Rhône, became famous for her eel stew and in the early 1800s Mère Brigousse in the Charpennes district became known for her dumplings. Since then multiple talented female cooks, many of whom had no formal training, have been called by the title Mère. The practice of calling female cooks 'Mère' gained popularity during the 19th century, when gastronomic societies were popular, and reached its peak in the

interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

years when talented cooks who had been working for wealthy

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

families were losing their positions due to changing household economics and automobile tourism was developing, so they set up in business as restaurateurs.

Lyon

is known as the "cradle" of the Mères, and the Mères had a profound effect on Lyonnaise cuisine, according to Curnonsky turning Lyon into the food capital of France and the world. According to Jean Vitaux, the Mères of Lyon "shaped an original, feminine and regional definition of gastronomy." Writing for ''Medium'', Francois de Melogue said "(they) brought the gastronomic spotlight to Lyon, the undisputed gastronomical capital of France. Their influence and impact helped define and shape classic French cooking in modern times." According to Eater, their work "secured the city’s reputation for exceptional cuisine." The first mention of a Mère of Lyons was in 1759 when Mère Guy, who cooked at an inn near the Rhône in Mulatières and became famous for her eel stew or eel matelote and her crawfish gratin. In the 1800s her granddaughter also became known as Mère Guy, "La Génie" (The Spirit). The restaurant, at 35 Quai Jean-Jacques Rousseau, was awarded three Michelin stars in 1936.In the 1830s in the Charpennes quarter, Mère Brigousse or Brugousse, also known as ''La Mère des Amoureux'' (mother of lovers), was famous for a dish called ''Tétons de Vénus'' (breasts of Venus), a dish of giant dumplings popular among groups of young men dining stag for bachelor parties. Mère Filloux or Fillioux, born Françoise Fayolle in 1865 in

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285. is called ''La Reine des Poulardes'' and Empress of the Lyon Mothers''.'' She was the first of the Mères whose recipes were still in use as of the early 21st century. She moved to Lyon in 1890 from Cunlhat and was hired as a cook by a local businessman. She created the dish ''poulet demi deuil'' (half-mourning chicken), which featured black truffles inserted under the white skin of the local breed of chicken and is considered a classic of French cuisine. She was also noted for her truffle-flavored cream soup and poached chicken, artichoke hearts stuffed with

foie gras ; (, ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck, duck or Domestic goose, goose. According to French law, ''foie gras'' is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by ''gavage'' (force feeding). ''Foie gras'' i ...

quenelle __NOTOC__ A quenelle () is a mixture of creamed fish or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding, formed into an egg-like shape, and then cooked. The usual preparation is by poaching. Formerly, quenelles were often us ...

s and

crawfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...

, and lobster with shallots, tomatoes, wine, and brandy. She claimed to have never made more than these five dishes, saying, "I know how to cook them, and I will never make any others." She married Louis Filloux in 1900 and bought a restaurant at 73 Rue Duquesne in Lyon's 6th arrondissement, where frequent customers were

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and ...

and Alice B. Toklas, who called her "an artist" at carving a chicken. She hired only women to work in her kitchen. She retired in 1925 and is estimated to have carved a half million chickens during her career. Near the end of her career she became such a celebrated cook that female cooks outside of Lyon started to be called Mère. Born Eugénie Brazier in 1895, Mère Brazier began working as a maid and then as a cook for a family around 1914 or 1916 at the age of 21. She later worked for Mère Filloux, though Filloux was "endlessly critical." In 1921 at age 26 she bought a former grocery at 12 Rue Royale and turned it into a restaurant with 15 seats which opened in 1922. Like her mentor Filloux she also specialized in ''poulet demi deuil.'' The mayor of Lyon,

Édouard Herriot Édouard Marie Herriot (; 5 July 1872 – 26 March 1957) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister (1924–1925; 1926; 1932) and twice as President of the Chamber of Deputies. He led the f ...

, was a frequent customer. She expanded her restaurant but handed it over to her son, moved to the small nearby village of Col de la Luère, and in 1932 opened another restaurant there.

Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...

awarded it two stars the year it opened and three the following year, making her the first woman to hold three Michelin stars. The original restaurant was also awarded three stars that year, and Mère Brazier became the first person of either sex to hold six Michelin stars. She trained other Michelin star winners, including

Paul Bocuse Paul François Pierre Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon known for the quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. Dubbed "the pope of gastronomy", he was affectionately nick ...

, who worked for her at the restaurant in Col de la Luère and also specialized in half-mourning chicken, and

Bernard Pacaud Bernard Pacaud (; born 29 September 1947) is a French chef, holder of three Michelin stars since 1986. Biography Pacaud was born on September 29, 1947. He grew up in an orphanage, and in April 1962 he began to work as a ''kitchen hand'' for Eug� ...

. She died in 1977. The original restaurant was in 2001 still being operated by her granddaughter. According to the ''Independent'', Mère Brazier is regarded as "the mother of modern French cooking." Mère Bourgeois, born Marie Humbert in 1870, was hired as a cook for a wealthy family. She married Andre Bourgeois and they bought a former inn 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 ...

near Lyon. She was known for dishes based on local fish and game, including a lark pate and another pate known as le pâté chaud de la mère Bourgeois, which was internationally known. Herriot was a frequent customer. In 1923 the '' Club de Cent'' (Club of One Hundred), a gastronomic society, recognized her. She held three Michelin stars from 1933 until her death in 1937. The restaurant as of 2001 was still in operation. Bizolon004

Mère Léa Bidaut was born in Creusot in 1908 and worked during her teens for wealthy families. She was a cook at a restaurant for four years before opening La Voûte in 1943 on the Rhône in Lyon's 2nd arrondissement. Her specialty was a sauerkraut with champagne, but when other restaurants in the area started to copy it, she took it off her menu and focussed on regional specialities such as tried tripe with chervil, pike quenelles, Lyons salad, baked cardoon with bone marrow, and bugnes. Her menu was not printed and changed daily. She retired at 74 and died in 1997. As of 2001 the restaurant is still in operation. Mère Castaing, born Paulette Penel in 1911, married Raymond Castaing in 1933 after the two met apprenticing at Hotel Cheynet in Alboussiere in Ardeche. In 1946 the couple opened Beau Rivage in Coindrieu. Her specialties included poached trout, eel stew, and pike mousseline. Mère Castaing was awarded a Michelin star in 1954 and a second in 1964; she held them until she sold the business in 1988. As of 2001 the restaurant was still in operation. Mère Bizolon was born Marie-Joseph Clotilde Thévenet in 1871 in Coligny. She married and moved to Lyon. During World War I she set up free refreshment stations for soldiers in transit. After the war she turned her husband's shoemaking shop into a restaurant. In 1925 Herriot awarded her a Legion of Honor. In 1940 she was murdered; the crime went unsolved. After World War II a street in Lyon's 2nd arrondissement was named for her. Other Mères de Lyon include Mère Jean, Mère Vittet, Mère Poupon, La Grande Marcelle, Mère Charles, La Mèlie, and the cheesemonger Mère Richard.

Elsewhere

Mère Poulard, born Annette Boutiaut in 1851 in

Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...

, started working as a maid for Édouard Corroyer and travelled with him and his family to Mont-Saint-Michel when he was commissioned to restore the

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey The Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey is an abbey located within the city and island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, in the department of Manche. The abbey is an essential part of the structural composition of the town the feudal society constructed. ...

. She married Victor Poulard in 1873, and they opened a restaurant where she served a souffle-style omelet that became famous as the ''omelette de la Mère Poulard''. The restaurant, now known as La Mère Poulard, as of 2020 was still in operation. Mère Blanc, born Élisa Gervais in 1883, married Adolphe Blanc, and the couple took over his parents' restaurant in Vonnas in

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whic ...

. Mère Blanc used many of her own mother's recipes. Her specialties included

Bresse chicken The () or volaille de Bresse is a French chicken product which has ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' status, and which was registered as a Protected Designation of Origin under EU and UK law as ''Volaille de Bresse / Poulet de Bresse / ...

, the dish that made her famous and earned her her first Michelin star. In 1930 she was given first prize in the Touring Club de France cooking competition. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 1931 and two in 1932. The celebrated French food critic Curnonsky called her "the best cook in the world" in 1933. In 1934 her son and daughter-in-law took over the restaurant. She died in 1949. In 1968 her grandson Georges Blanc took over; as of 1982 it was still called La Mere Blanc and had received its third Michelin star. Currently called Restaurant Georges Blanc, as of 2020 it is still in operation with her grandson as chef. Les Mères Allard were a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in Paris. Marthe Meuriot married Marcel Allard in 1920, and together they opened a bistro in the 13th ''arrondissement''. Her specialties included Burgundy stew, ''

pot-au-feu (, ; ) is a French cuisine, French dish of slowly boiled meat and vegetables, usually served as two courses: first the broth (''bouillon'') and then the meat (''bouilli'') and vegetables. The dish is familiar throughout France and has many r ...

'', and jugged rabbit. They moved to Rue Saint-André-des-Arts in the 5th arrondissement and she continued to produce Burgundian dishes such as poached pike with beurre blanc, roast guinea fowl, and lamb stew. After World War II her son and his wife, Fernande, took over, and Fernande also became known as Mère Allard. Her specialties included ''pâté en croûte'', ''

cassoulet Cassoulet (, also ,; ) is a rich stew originating in southern France. The food writer Elizabeth David described it as "that sumptuous amalgamation of haricot beans, sausage, pork, mutton and preserved goose, aromatically spiced with garlic and h ...

'', veal with onions and bacon, lamb stew, lentils with salt pork, braised beef with carrots, and chicken in red wine. As of 2001 the restaurant was still in operation. Mère Crouzier was born in Périgord and from 1945 to 1986 worked at La Croix-Blanche, one of the oldest inns in France, in Chaumont-sur-Tharonne in

Sologne Sologne (; ) is a natural region in Centre-Val de Loire, France, extending over portions of the departements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Cher. Its area is about . To its north is the river Loire, to its south the river Cher, while the district ...

. The restaurant, which was owned by her husband's parents, has had female chefs throughout its history, starting in 1779. She developed her specialty, rabbit Albicocco, in 1969. Portrait de marie louise maury

Mère Adrienne Biasin, born in a small village near Parme, opened Chez la Vielle at 37 Rue de l'Arbre-Sec in Paris when she was 25 and operated it from 1958 thru 1993, initially serving mostly workers from ''

les Halles Les Halles (; 'The Halls') was Paris' central fresh food market. It last operated on 12 January 1973 and was replaced by an underground shopping centre and a park. The unpopular modernist development was demolished yet again in 2010, and replac ...

''. Jacques Maniere and Raymond Oliver were frequent customers. She became well known after Phillippe Couderc, an influential food critic, wrote about her in his column. The restaurant had only 30 seats and reservations were booked three months in advance. Her Christmas menu was published by ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

'' in 1976 and she afterward complained about the deluge of new customers, saying "They all want only these dishes. They do not understand that food must be different every day." She had a television series for two years and wrote a column for '' Madame Figaro''. As of 2001 the restaurant is still in operation but Mère Adrienne had retired. Mère Barale was born in Nice in 1916. In 1933 at age 17 she took over the operation of her parents' restaurant, Chez Paulin et Ma, in the Riquier neighborhood. Her specialities were traditional Niçoise dishes including ''trouchia'', an omelet with bay, cheese, and chard, ''tourta de blea'', a chard pie, ''pissaldiera'', a pizza-like onion tart, ''estocaficada'', a tomato-based fish stew, ''doba a la nissarda'', a beef stew served with ravioli, and '' socca'', a crisp garbanzo-flour griddled crepe. '' Nice-Matin'' called her "the most delicious monument of Nice's heritage." As of 2001 she was still running the restaurant. Mere Maury (born Marie-Louise Gélibert in 1863 in Bourg-de-Péage), married Annet Maury in 1885. In 1894 she inherited her parents' cafe and added ravioli to the menu. She died in 1941.

References

{{French cuisine French cuisine Women chefs French women