Lenôtre, Gaston

Lenôtre, Gaston (1920–2009), rose from humble beginnings on a small farm in Normandy to become one of France’s most successful patissiers, caterers, and retailers. As founder of the renowned Lenôtre cooking school in Plaisir, west of Paris, he trained hundreds of professional pastry chefs. At the time of his death, Lenôtre was head of a worldwide group of 60 boutique pastry shops in 12 countries, as well as proprietor of the Michelin three-star Paris restaurant Le Pré Catalan. Revenues from his empire totaled $162 million in 2008.