Danièle Delpeuch Video Interview On ‘Haute Cuisine,’ François Mitterand

Danièle Delpeuch, the first female chef for a President of France and the inspiration for the film Haute Cuisine, got a rare gimpse into the workings of the highest levels of government. “The most interesting part at the palace, in fact, is the life of the President, with his guests of honor, with the heads of state when they are in France, with the people he wants to receive,” Delpeuch told Uinterview exclusively. “This gives you the best occasion to make good food, to please the boss.”

In the film, Catherine Frot (pictured) plays Delpeuch as she struggles to serve the French President classic French fare at the palace dominated by sexist male chefs. “Good cooking has no preference of this battle, it means nothing,” she told Uinterview. “Gender in an artist’s work… I’m not interested.”