Maïté was 86 years old. The most famous Landes cook has died, learned about France Bleu Gascogne from several sources this Saturday. Maïté, whose real name is Marie-Thérèse Ordonez, became known in the 80s and 90s with the show “The Kitchen of the Musketeers” on France 3. Spotted in her restaurant in Rion-des-Landes, she presented this show with her partner Micheline Banzet-Lawton for around fifteen years. Emmanuel Macron wanted to pay tribute to a “ambassador of our traditional cuisine”this Saturday on the social network
Mythical sequences
Maïté's personality, her way of defending Gascon gastronomy and the “South-West” spirit, largely contributed to the success of the TV show. Some sequences have even become legendary. We remember, for example, his fight with a stubborn eel or tasting ortolan “à la napkin” (France Bleu offers you some a selection in this video). In Rion, his restaurant “Chez Maïté” closed in 2015 but it was one of the most representative establishments of Gascon gastronomy.
Frédéric Reglain/Gamma-Rapho
“It doesn’t say woodcock!”
Maïté's notoriety had taken her to areas other than the kitchen. For example, she lent her image to advertisements including that for Bonux laundry detergent punctuated with a shocking formula (!): “It doesn’t say woodcock here!”
Maïté bonux pub
And Maïté was emulated. In 2018, his granddaughter, Camille Ordonez, participated in the show “Top Chef Objective” with Philippe Etchebest on M6. Maïté had sent a little message to the Bordeaux chef who, a few years earlier, had made her first TV appearance with her.
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