Born in 1895 in La Tranclière, Ain, Eugénie Brazier became the first chef—male or female—to earn six Michelin stars simultaneously (1933), running two legendary restaurants in Lyon: La Mère Brazier and Le Col de la Luère. Her rigorous, ingredient-driven cooking laid the foundations of la cuisine lyonnaise.
Eugénie Brazier entered domestic service in Lyon at 19 and, by 1921, had opened La Mère Brazier on Rue Royale. Using farmhouse techniques—slow braises, clarified broths, hand-churned butter—she transformed humble dishes like Bresse chicken with morels or crayfish gratin into icons of French haute cuisine.
In 1928 she added Le Col de la Luère, a rustic inn perched in the Monts du Lyonnais, sourcing poultry, vegetables and dairy from surrounding farms. The 1933 Michelin Guide awarded her three stars for each restaurant, a dual honour unmatched until Alain Ducasse in 1998.
Known for exacting standards—she arrived at 4 a.m. daily to light the stoves—Brazier mentored future greats, most famously Paul Bocuse, who credited her with teaching “the taste of the essential.” Despite wartime hardship, she kept both restaurants open, feeding refugees and local families.
Awards include the Rosette d’Or de la Gastronomie (1968). She declined offers to move to Paris, insisting that “everything I need is in Lyon.” Brazier died on 2 March 1977; in 2007, Rue Royale was renamed Rue Eugénie-Brazier, and in 2008 her granddaughter reopened La Mère Brazier, honoring her recipes. The annual Trophée Eugénie Brazier now supports women in culinary publishing.
