Roland Mesnier

Roland Mesnier ( born July 30, 1944 in Bonnay / France) is a French-American pastry chef and cookbook author. He achieved fame through his creations during his 25 - year tenure in the White House as a pastry chef. He is married and has a son.

Life

Mesnier was born on 30 July 1944 as the son of a railway family in the French village Bonnay. With his eight siblings, he grew up under poor conditions. In order to " never again be hungry " must, he decided to twelve years for the professional pastry chef and got an insight into the profession in the bakery of his brother Jean.

Education and work

At fourteen he began training in a pastry shop in Besancon. He had to work six days a week 6-18 clock and received $ 5 wage, accommodation and cooking classes. At age 17, he finished his education and started to work in a Parisian bakery near the Paris Opera. As his opinion, the French pastry craft stagnated, he went on the advice of his boss to Germany. He works in the opera pastry of Hanover and later at the bakery ill in Hamburg -Altona. There he learned the preparation of Dresden stollen, marzipan, macaroons, bee sting, Baumkuchen, including addition, he learned the German language.

Then he was hired in several renowned international hotel. Among others, the Hotel Savoy in London, the George V Hotel in Paris, the Vivarois restaurant in Paris, the International Princess Hotel in Bermuda, the Acupulco Princess and the Homestead Hotel in Hot Springs, Virginia.

To learn English, he wanted to work in London at the Savoy Hotel, but was previously convened yet for 18 months military service. Then he started at the Savoy. At age 23 he moved to Bermuda and takes a job at the Princess Hotel International at. During this time he learned the U.S. American Martha, whom he later married and with it has a son George. After six years he moved back to Paris and Pastry Chef at the George V Hotel. Soon, however, he again took a position as joint head chef of nine hotels. In order to return to work in the kitchen, he went in 1976 to the United States, beginning in Homestead Hotel in North Springfield, Virginia to work on.

The White House

1979 shared with guests at the Homestead hotels who knew the president's family, Mesnier that the president's wife Rosalynn Carter seeking a pastry chef. He then applied and the First Lady invited him for an interview as Executive Pastry Chef. The new pastry chef abolished the custom that the desserts were provided by the caterer. Under his tenure, all desserts were freshly prepared in the White House and does not serve dessert twice. Overall, he created the desserts for five presidential administrations: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. After 25 years of service to the White House on 30 July 2004 he went into retirement.

Retirement

Mesnier lives in a villa, which is set up like a French country house, in Virginia. He wrote several books.

Works

• Dessert University. Simon & Schuster, 2004, ISBN 0-743-22317-9 (English ) ( with Lauren Chattman )
• Sucré d'Etat. DOCS TEMOIGNAG, Flammarion 2006, ISBN 2-080-68789-1 (in French ) ( with Christian Malard )