Olympe Versini
At the age of 23, in 1973, she and her husband opened “Le Restaurant d'Olympe” in Paris, which quickly became a must-visit place. Self-taught, she stands out for her instinctive cooking influenced by her grandmother's Italian cuisine.
At that time, there were no young women in the kitchen, and even fewer female chefs. In 1978, she was the first woman to produce recipes live on television.
In 1979 she was a columnist on France Inter alongside Eve Ruggieri with whom she published her first recipe book “La cuisine d'Eve et Olympe” with Éditions Mengès in 1980.
In 1981, she became the youngest Michelin-starred chef, at the age of 30. In 1984, she was the first woman to be awarded three hats and a score of 18/20,
The Olympe restaurant is frequented by stars from around the world and sees Francis Ford Coppola, Robert de Niro, Orson Welles, Roman Polanski, Mick Jagger, Catherine Deneuve, Jane Birkin, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Adjani, Clint Eastwood. … She is adored by her peers including Paul Bocuse and Bernard Loiseau. She is nicknamed the Queen of Paris by Jacques Maximim.
In 1993, she opened Casa Olympe, offering bistro cuisine. She became a pioneer with Yves Camdeborde of what we would call bistronomy, a contraction of “bistro” and “gastronomy” to designate this movement of the 90s which consisted of making great cuisine in small bistros. In 2013 she sold her restaurant and devoted herself to her other passions.
Book Olympe, a free cook by Anne Etorre photographs by Claire Curt Hachette Cuisine
Through her book, the author Anne Etorre immerses us in the story of a cook from the 70s who defied the rules and redefined French gastronomy at a time when the place of women in this field was still very marginal. With recipes from yesterday and today, the author invites us to discover not only the culinary art of Olympe Versini, but also the inspiring story of this independent and daring woman, whose modernity still resonates today. 'today.
Olympe Versini's recipes
The greedy barter
Olympe Versini offered a tasting of long red pepper leather a product of The Plantation (spice producer at the Kampot Farm in Cambodia) It is a sweet and spicy spice, produced from Long Pepper harvested at full maturity
François-Régis Gaudry discovered an extra Passion Fruit Delight Jam prepared by Coco Passion, the haute jam workshop on Reunion Island
It is the marriage of three emblematic products: cane sugar, a spice (organic PGI vanilla from Reunion Island) and a fruit (passion fruit). This is the recipe for Corinne Romederwho founded Coco Passion, the Haute Jam Workshop.
This product won the favorite of Reunion 2024 products during the 5th edition of VinoCité, the wine and gastronomy fair which took place at the Jardin d'Eden in the town of Saint-Gilles-les-Bains on the west coast of Reunion Island
The chronicle of Elvira Masson
Olympe Versini was in the 70s and 80s one of the rare women to achieve notoriety in a predominantly male world of cooking. How did she experience it? What is her view of the young generation of female chefs that has emerged?
The rest to read and listen to
Elvira Masson's gift for Olympe Versini, the book “I love the keftedes” by the artist Daniel Spoerri. This book is currently out of print.
Jérôme Gagnez’s wine column
An emblematic estate of the Bandol appellation
Wines offered at Olympe Versini:
Red Bandol Lucien and Lulu 2021
Red ribbon at Lulu 2017
Domaine Tempier Peyraud
winegrowers at Plan du Castellet
1082, chemin des Fanges
83330 Le Plan du Castellet
Tel. : 04 94 98 70 21
[email protected]
The Domaine Tempier website
The rest to read and listen to
Musical programming
- Camille Follow Me (from the soundtrack of the film Ratatouille)
- Thee Sacred Sould Lucid girl
