Marthe Distel
Encyclopedia
Marthe Distel was a French journalist who started the culinary magazine La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu
. To prompt readership, Distel offered subscribers cooking lessons with professional chefs. The first class was held in January 1895 in the kitchens of the Palais Royal
. The classes led to the development of a more formal school, now known as Le Cordon Bleu
. On her death in the 1930s, Distel left the school to an orphanage, which struggled to manage it. The school closed during World War II
, and was later bought by another French woman, Elisabeth Brassart.
The magazine ceased publication in the 1960s, but the school has evolved from its single location in Paris to more than 27 schools in 17 countries.
La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu
La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu, also spelled as La cuisinière cordon-bleu, was a culinary magazine started in the late 1890s by French journalist Marthe Distel. The magazine offered recipes and tips on entertaining. To prompt readership, the magazine offered cooking classes to subscribers. The first one...
. To prompt readership, Distel offered subscribers cooking lessons with professional chefs. The first class was held in January 1895 in the kitchens of the Palais Royal
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
. The classes led to the development of a more formal school, now known as Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu is the world's largest hospitality education institution, with 35 schools on five continents serving 20,000 students annually. Its primary education focus is on hospitality management and the culinary arts...
. On her death in the 1930s, Distel left the school to an orphanage, which struggled to manage it. The school closed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was later bought by another French woman, Elisabeth Brassart.
The magazine ceased publication in the 1960s, but the school has evolved from its single location in Paris to more than 27 schools in 17 countries.