Dn her stronghold of Rion-des-Landes, she was appreciated by everyone. It is in this village in the west of the Landes that Marie-Thérèse Ordonez known as Maïté was born in 1938, and it is in this same village that she died this Saturday, December 21, 2024. Here, she was a a special figure, admired for her simplicity and kindness more than for her celebrity. This Sunday, December 22, in the Marco Paulo bar-restaurant, located at the southern entrance to the village, regulars remember the local cook with fondness. No wonder, because this establishment which was formerly called “Chez Maïté” was his restaurant for a long time.
“A real character”
Françoise Cantel, who took over the business in 2015, shares with emotion her memories of La Rionnaise: “Previously, we saw her all the time in the village. At the time, I ran a bar a little further towards the town, Maïté would pass by in the morning with her dogs and each time she would stop to chat. She said to me ''How are you, young girl?'', she remembers with a laugh. Despite the TV, she remained simple and pleasant. She talked all the time, she was a real character. »
When people ask me where I come from I answer that I live with Maïté
On the wall behind Françoise hangs a portrait of her son, Marc, alongside Maïté. “When I saw that she had died, it gave me a bit of a shock,” confides the man who now runs the establishment’s kitchens. Strolling between the tables in the large room of the restaurant, he recounts his memories of the time when the most emblematic restaurateur in the Landes served her local and generous dishes here: “There were whole buses coming from all over France, it was Suddenly there were 120 people coming in to eat, he explains. After the service, Maïté would come out of the kitchens, burst into song and come and chat at each table. »
Marc Cantel does not hide his pride in occupying the kitchens which were formerly those of Maïté.
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Local pride
Maïté was spotted in the 1980s by director Patrice Bellot during a report on the Rion-des-Landes rugby team. “At the time, she cooked for the players,” recalls Yves, a native of the village. The sixty-year-old describes her as “a frank and generous woman, like her cooking”. “At first, it felt a little strange to see her on TV,” he smiles, “but it was a source of pride. » Everyone here agrees on one point: if the France 3 cameras made her famous, Maïté never got a big head, remaining the same as when she served the young rugby players of the village. “She knew where she came from,” says Yves. She represented Rion. When people ask me where I come from, I answer that I live with Maïté. »
For several years, the star of the show “La Cuisine des mousquetaires” had resided in the village’s nursing home. “We saw her less,” says this resident of the town, “but we knew she was there. We had news from time to time, people would tell you: ''I went to the retirement home, I saw Maïté.''” One thing is certain, before leaving, the cook made sure to leave to the Rionnais the most important of its recipes: that of a simple and generous life.
