EP Business in Hospitality Issue 53 - April 2015

Le Cordon Bleu | Feature
CELEBRATING
120 YEARS
Le Cordon Bleu is a world-leading culinary school with
a rich heritage spanning over 120 years. Created in 1895,
the institution has evolved from a small Parisian cookery
school to an ever-expanding international network
The name Le Cordon Bleu was used
for the first time in relation to
culinary excellence in the 16th
century when King Henry III created one
of the most important orders in France,
‘L’Ordre du Saint-Esprit’. Symbolising this
order was the cross of the Holy Spirit, which
hung on a blue ribbon or ‘un cordon bleu’.
Due to the prestigious nature of this order
and the decadent feasts accompanying their
ceremonies, the name Le Cordon Bleu
became well recognised and celebrated.
On January 10 1895, Marthe Distel
launched a weekly publication called
La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu – the first real
culinary magazine in France to educate
its readers with the most unique recipe
collections. The first culinary school
opened its doors on October 15 1895.
It was the diverse network of
alumni that really contributed the most
to Le Cordon Bleu – in 1933, former
Paris student Rosemary Hume opened
L’Ecole du Petit Cordon Bleu in London.
Twenty years later, the school’s
success was confirmed when it prepared
the Coronation luncheon for Queen
Elizabeth II, for which the Coronation
Chicken recipe was first created.
In 1984, André Cointreau was appointed
president and CEO, and during his 30 years
of leadership he has always believed that the
48 | EP Magazine | April 2015