Eugénie Brazier

Eugénie Brazier, known as La Mère Brazier (12 June 1895 in La Tranclière, Ain - 2 March 1977 in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon) was a famous French chef, the first woman to earn three Michelin stars (1933), turning Lyon into France's capital of gastronomy. Born a simple country girl in the hillocks outside Bresse, starting her first restaurant in 1921, obtaining help from French food critic Curnonsky, she was also the first French chef of either sex to attain six Michelin stars for her restaurants on Rue Royale and in the Alpine foothills at Col de la Luère. Her cooking was renowned, attracting clientele including Charles de Gaulle, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and Marlene Dietrich, who loved her Langouste Belle Aurore, a whole sweet lobster drenched in brandy and cream.

She founded the current line of top French chefs in Lyon including her student Paul Bocuse.