In Memorium Madeleine Kamman

“I met Madeleine Kamman at Luberon College in Avignon France and she planted a thirst for food & wine that completely changed my life. Her mentorship and friendship spanned all these years enriching me beyond my imagination. She was truly a liberating culinary trail blazer” Jimmy Schmidt

Madeleine Kamman, well known chef, author, restaurateur, and TV personality, passed away peacefully at her home in Middlebury, Vermont on July 16, 2018. She was born on November 22, 1930 in Paris, France. Cooking was part of her life from the beginning. Her mother Simone was an accomplished home cook. Her Aunt, whom Madeleine spent her girlhood summers with in Touraine, France, ran a Michelin starred restaurant where Madeleine developed her skills, and love of cooking and food.

Madeleine was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris, studying languages. She met and married her husband Alan in Paris in 1960. She then moved to the United States. Her professional beginnings were humble, teaching cooking to housewives in her home in suburban Philadelphia. Her teaching expanded to night classes at an area high school.

Kamman moved to the Boston area in 1969 where she formalized her school. In the mid 70s, Modern Gourmet, a French cooking school, was in full swing, educating aspiring cooks in Newton Center, Mass. The lab for her classes became her first, and most well–known five star restaurant, Chez la Mere Madeleine. At this time, Madeleine developed relationships with some of the great chefs of that time, while training a new generation of cooks.

The 80’s saw Kamman move her school to Annecy, France for several years, and return to the States where she continued to teach closer to the family home in the Mt. Washington Valley of New Hampshire. Her second restaurant, L’ Auberge Madeleine, was open for several years in Glen, NH.

In 1989, Kamman developed a relationship with the Beringer Vineyards in St. Helena, CA. For several years, she ran the School for American Chefs in kitchens on site at the winery. Competition was stiff for acceptance to these two–week seminars on cooking technique as well as pairing wines with food. This was her last foray into teaching, retiring to Vermont in the late 90s to be closer to her family.

Madeleine was a true genius when it came to food. She influenced and taught many aspiring young chefs who have gone on to be highly successful in a myriad of positions in the food industry. Whether this was through her teaching, the seven cookbooks that she wrote over the course of her life, or the two seasons she aired on Public Television in the feature program Madeleine Cooks, she has been a huge influence on the food industry and cooking in America.

Kamman received many accolades for her work. She received an honorary doctorate from Johnson and Wales University, A Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and a knighthood in the Ordres des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture. In 1998, the James Beard Foundationbestowed a their lifetime achievement award to Madeleine, the same year that her iconic “New Making of a Cook: received book of the year.

Kamman, an icon in the cooking world, will be missed by her students and her family. She was a true individual who was passionate about her work and students.