Georgiana Viou

Last updated
Georgiana Viou
Born1977
Cotonou, Benin
EducationSorbonne University
Known forFirst black woman chef in France to be awarded Michelin Star
Culinary career
Cooking styleMediterranean cuisine, Benin
Rating(s)
Current restaurant(s)
  • Rouge (2021-current)
Previous restaurant(s)
  • L'Atelier de Georgiana, Chez Georgiana, La Piscine
Television show(s)
  • MasterChef France
Award(s) won
  • Prix Taittinger des Cordons Bleus, Gault&Millau “Dotation Jeunes Talents”, Grand de Demain

Georgiana Viou (born 1977) is a French 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 the French version of MasterChef and a cookbook author.

Contents

Biography

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  [ fr ]. Encouraged by friends, she applied for the French television program MasterChef, 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, 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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Self-taught Chefs Win Michelin Guide Star". Voice of America. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 S.r.l, Reporter Gourmet. "Georgiana Viou | Chef". reportergourmet.com. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  3. 1 2 "Georgiana Viou, à Nîmes : "Ma cuisine est vraiment inspirée de la Provence au plus large sens, cependant je suis Béninoise, j'en garde des réminiscences"". France Info (in French). 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Gastronomie : 5 choses à savoir sur la cheffe Georgiana Viou, qui a décroché sa première étoile à Nîmes". France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (in French). 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  5. ↑ "Georgiana Viou, cheffe étoilée : « Cuisiner, c'est donner »". La Croix (in French). 2024-02-11. ISSN   0242-6056 . Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  6. ↑ "Review: Rouge, Nîmes". France Today. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  7. ↑ "NÎMES Georgiana Viou prend les rênes de Rouge, futur restaurant de l'hôtel Chouleur". Objectif Gard (in French). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  8. ↑ This Michelin-starred chef brings the taste of Benin to France | CNN Business. 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2025-02-26– via edition.cnn.com.
  9. ↑ "La cheffe Béninoise Georgiana Viou, nouvelle étoilée du Guide Michelin". Forbes Afrique (in French). 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  10. ↑ "MasterChef France: Everything you need to know about the new season". 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  11. ↑ "TV: Masterchef returns to France 2". Gralon. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  12. ↑ Kerboua, Narjasse (2023-04-17). "Quand la cheffe étoilée Georgiana Viou cuisine avec les détenus aux Beaux-Mets". Made in Marseille (in French). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
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