Honoring women in the world of gastronomy

Ever since the institute opened in Paris in 1895, following the initiative of young journalist Marthe Distel, the philosophy of Le Cordon Bleu is to reach the highest level of excellence, whilst perpetuating traditions and leading culinary innovation for each generation around the globe. The success of Le Cordon Bleu students is a guarantee of the curriculum’s quality taught in its establishments.

With more than 120 years experience in the field of education, Le Cordon Bleu has seen exceptional talents evolve following their training programme, from Julia Child to Mary Berry, from Peggy Porschen to Paula Moulton, from Janice Wong to Pooja Dhingra …

1895

Marthe Distel launches a culinary magazine entitled La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu in Paris. In October, she launches the first Le Cordon Bleu cuisine lessons with a pedagogical programme for women who are looking for emancipation through education.

1931

Rosemary Hume and Dione Lucas, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris under the supervision of Chef Henri-Paul Pellaprat, open l’école du Petit Cordon Bleu and the Au Petit Cordon Bleu restaurant in London.

1942

Dione Lucas, Director of Le Cordon Bleu New York and author of The Cordon Bleu CookBook, is the first ever woman to host a television cuisine show in the United States.

1963

Julia Child, Le Cordon Bleu Paris alumna, 1951, launches her television show The French Chef in the United States in 1963.

1970

Mary Berry, Le Cordon Bleu alumna, 1956, publishes her 1st book of a series of 75 books, The Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book in 1970.

1986

Nathalie Dupree, alumna 1971. Nathalie Dupree is the author of 10 cookbooks, selling over half a million copies, and the host of more than 300 national and international cooking shows which have aired since 1986 on PBS, The Food Network, and The Learning Channel.

1991

Nancy Silverton wins the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Pastry Chef award in 1991. Nancy Silverton is a famous American chef, baker, and author, who actively worked on popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.

2003

Peggy Porschen, Le Cordon Bleu Grand Diplôme® alumna, 1999, opens her own pastry boutique, Peggy Porschen Cakes in London, specializing in party cakes and creating top of the range cakes and biscuits, in 2003. She is also the author of 9 books on Cake Decorating, including Romantic Cakes and Pretty Party Cakes.

2007

Janice Wong, Le Cordon Bleu Pastry Diploma alumna, 1999, opens her own restaurant, 2am dessertbar, in Singapore, in order to highlight the importance of a dessert during a meal. Janice has gone on to receive numerous awards including being elected Young Woman of the Year in 2012 by Her World, and Pastry Chef of the Year at the World Gourmet Summit Awards in 2011, 2013 and 2015.

2011

Morena Leite, Le Cordon Bleu Grand Diplôme® alumna, 1999,considered to be one of the most innovative chefs in Brazil, heads up five restaurants in Brazil. She is awarded the Best Brazilian Cuisine prize by Go Where Gastronomia magazine in 2011.

2013

Paula Moulton, Le Cordon Bleu Art, Science & Wine Management Diploma alumna, 2012, is awarded the title Woman of the Year in 2013 by Sonoma County in the United States. A viticulturist, award-winning winemaker and author of two books and with more than 25 years experience in the American wine industry, Paula is also co-founder and CEO of A Sip Away.

2014

Pooja Dhingra, Le Cordon Bleu Pastry Diploma alumna, 2008, opens her first boutique dedicated to macaroons Le 15 Patisserie in Bombay, India. In 2014, she is named one of the 30 most influential personalities under the age of 30 in India in the Forbes ranking.

Makiko Miyoshi, Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme de Cuisine alumna, 2008. After graduating at the Kobe institute, she founded and runs Table d’or , which holds cooking and table decorating workshops. Additionally, Makiko is very active working with local producers toward food product development.

2015

Jacqueline Lim, Le Cordon Bleu Master of Arts in Gastronomy online Graduate, 2007, is a food critic and blogger in Australia and was recognised for her quest to dine at, and write about, all of the Gourmet Traveller Top 100 restaurants through a feature article in the Gourmet Traveller magazine and an invitation to the Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Awards in July last year in Sydney. 

2016

Who's next?

Le Cordon Bleu offers a range of widely-recognized training programmes in the fields of gastronomy, wine, hotel and tourism, from initiation level through to MBA.