Recently in Hélène Darroze Category

Two-Michelin-starred chef Hélène Darroze has become a chevalier (knight) in the French Legion of Honour.

The French chef, who runs her eponymous restaurant at the Connaught in London as well as a restaurant in Paris, has been awarded the honour by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The award, with its five different levels, was created in 1802 by Napoleon as an order of merit to recognise outstanding services rendered to France or a feat befitting humanity.

She is one of several chefs to have been recognised, with others including Paul Bocuse, Thomas Keller and Alice Waters.

Commenting on the award Darroze said: "I am so proud to have been given this special award. I feel honoured to join such a distinguished group of people and this recognition for chefs shows what an important role food plays in today's world.

"I could not have achieved this without such a dedicated team around me both in London and Paris."

Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) is to continue to operate its restaurant at Claridge's but the hotel's owner, the Maybourne Hotel Group, has extended the contract by only 12 months.

The celebrity chef, who has run the former Michelin-starred restaurant at the five-star Mayfair hotel since 2001, was widely tipped not to have the 10-year lease renewed after Maybourne closed his previous restaurants at the Connaught and the Berkeley.

"While the GRH contract was due for renewal this year, it has been agreed to extend it into 2012," said a spokeswoman for Maybourne.

GRH's latest accounts revealed that Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's saw a 6.3% decline in footfall in the year to 31 August 2010. The restaurant, which was previously run by Mark Sargeant, lost its Michelin star in 2009 after seven years.

GRH previously operated four restaurants at Maybourne's London hotels including Angela Hartnett at Connaught; and Pétrus and Boxwood Café at the Berkeley. None of the restaurants' contracts were renewed upon expiry and are now occupied by Hélène Darroze; Marcus Wareing and Pierre Koffmann respectively.

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Hélène Darroze, the multi-Michelin-starred French chef who is in charge of the food and beverage operation at London's Connaught hotel and also runs her eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris.

As I mainly profile chefs, it's not often that I get to interview women and Darroze proved a very special subject indeed. Petite and feminine, she comes across as a little shy with a charming laugh that gives her a sense of innocence that's truly enchanting. When asked about something she really cares about - her cuisine, ingredients and most of all her two adopted daughters, Charlotte (four) and Quiterie (two) - she gets a little twinkle in her eye that shows just how passionate she is.

But of course, Darroze's might is not to be underestimated. She is one of Europe's most talented chefs holding her own in an industry so dominated by men. She manages to balance a successful career, running two Michelin-starred restaurants in two countries, with single parenthood, dividing her time between Paris and London, spending alternate weeks at each.

The Hélène Darroze interview will be published in Caterer and Hotelkeeper in April and will form part of our dedicated Women's Month, during which we'll be celebrating women in the hospitality industry. Here's a little sneak preview.