Madame Brassart

Who is Madame Brassart?

Élisabeth Brassart was the proprietress of the Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris from 1945 to 1984. Le Cordon Bleu had been founded in 1896 by Marthe Distel and Henri-Paul Pellaprat. The present owner, André J. Cointreau, purchased it from Brassart, who was an old family friend.

Brassart managed to attract many notable chefs to teach at the Le Cordon Bleu under her tenure. She was a dedicated, smart, astute businesswoman who gave the school its impeccable international reputation. Madame Brassart had an extraordinary vision of the future of cooking. She understood before anybody that people around the world would enjoy not only their meals but also would enjoy cooking. The school was a very international school under her leadership. Students came from the USA, from Japan and around the world. She had at the school some of the best chefs at this time, among them the famous Pellaprat. She had an extraordinary sense of humor. She had renowned friends all around the world.

Madame Brassart managed the school until 1984, at the age of 87 she decided it was time to retire. She sold it to the present owner, André J. Cointreau.