Presenters

Roland Mesnier

Roland Mesnier is originally from a tiny village in Burgundy, he began his first patisserie job in 1956 at the age of twelve. After entering an apprenticeship program in pastry-making two years later, Mesnier continued his training in Germany and was soon working in some of the most high-end hotels in Europe, including the George V in Paris and the Savoy in London. Later, as the Corporate Pastry Chef for Princess Hotels, he organized the grand openings of the chain’s restaurants and prepared desserts served at Queen Elizabeth II’s state dinners and at the Governor’s Palace in Bermuda. It was in Bermuda that Mesnier met his future wife, Martha, an American for whom the French pastry chef decided to move west.  Once settled in the United States, Mesnier became the Pastry Chef at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, in 1976, and soon after began teaching the art of pastry-making at l’Academie de Cuisine in Washington.

Given such experience, it was not surprising when, during a nationwide search for a new White House Pastry Chef in 1979, First Lady Rosalynn Carter hired Roland Mesnier on the spot. Mesnier’s desserts became the highlight of every State Dinner and First Family celebration. Indeed, Chef Mesnier created a new dessert, equally stunning in appearance as in taste, for every State Dinner. Furthermore, Mesnier always made an extensive effort to tailor his confections not only to the occasion but to those present.

Chef Mesnier has received numerous honors and awards, including 20 gold medals in pastry competitions around the world.  He has been Honorary President of the World Cup of Pastry from 1989 to the present, received the Legion of Honor award in 2005, and is a member of the Chocolate and Pastry Hall of Fame in New York.

Mesnier’s cookbook, Dessert University, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2004.  At that time he appeared as a guest on The Today Show, CNN’s Crossfire, The Robert Novak Show and on the Fox News Channel.