Georgiana Viou
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georgiana Viou | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 (age 48–49) |
| Education | Sorbonne University |
| Known for | First black woman chef in France to be awarded a Michelin Star |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Mediterranean cuisine, Beninese |
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Georgiana Viou (born 1977) is a chef from Benin. Viou specializes in Mediterranean cuisine with an African touch. In 2023, she became the first black female chef in France to be awarded a Michelin star. She is a judge for MasterChef France and a cookbook author.
Early life and education
Georgiana Viou was born in 1977 in Cotonou, Benin. Growing up in Benin, she learned to cook from her mother.[1] She moved to Paris at age 22 to study languages at the Sorbonne.[2] Her dream was to be a conference translator.[3] With the birth of her first child, she rekindled her fascination with cooking, and soon began to gain experience by working in restaurant kitchens.[4][5]
After graduation, she moved to Marseille, where she worked in a communications agency during the day and in restaurants at night, where she began to develop her cooking skills.[2] Viou is self-taught, and credits her time in Marseille's restaurant kitchens for teaching her everything she knew.[4]
Professional chef
At age 33, Viou left her translation work behind to work full time in kitchens.[1] In 2008, Viou was first seen on television when taking part in the first season of Un dîner presque parfait . Encouraged by friends, she applied for MasterChef France, where she reached the finals.[2]
In 2011, she opened her first cooking school and restaurant, "L'Atelier de Georgiana". The same year she released her first book, Géorgiana - Ma cuisine de Marseille.[2] Viou's cuisine is Mediterranean, specifically Provençal, but influenced from her roots in Benin.[3] She does not regard her technique as fusion cuisine, which she considers "messy".[6] In 2015, Viou opened Chez Georgiana, but it closed the next year after differences with investors.[4]
Rouge
In 2021, she opened "Rouge", a restaurant and bar in Nîmes.[7][8] At Rouge she was awarded the prestigious Grand de Demain award from Gault & Millau. This year she additionally published her second book, Le goût de Cotonou, ma cuisine du Bénin.[9]
In 2022, she returned to television for the new series of MasterChef France, this time as a judge.[10][11]
In 2023, Rouge and head chef Viou received a Michelin star.[4][12] With the honor, Viou became the first black female chef in France to be awarded a Michelin star.[2] She was the only single woman chef to receive a Michelin star in 2023.[1]
Publications
- 2011 Géorgiana - Ma cuisine de Marseille ISBN 978-2357200647
- 2021 Le goût de Cotonou - Ma cuisine du Bénin ISBN 978-2379450655
