Remembering Nathalie Dupree, a Southern Food Icon

A stint as a cook in a college co-op house opened up the idea of cooking as a profession, but her mother admonished her that “ladies don’t cook,” insisting it was an unsavory occupation because it meant working late hours, and with men. However, her mother conceded that if Nathalie could find a woman making a living as a professional cook, she would give her blessing.

It wasn’t until she was studying at the London campus of Le Cordon Bleu in the late 1960s that she found the proof her mother wanted. When Julia Child visited the campus, the staff sought out Nathalie, as the only American in the course, to greet Child.“What should I do after graduation?” she asked. Child’s reply? “Start a cooking school and write a cookbook.” And thus her course was charted.

Rising Through the Culinary Ranks

Nathalie completed her culinary training in London, ran a restaurant in Majorca, Spain, and returned to the US to open her eponymous restaurant in 1971, where she served a combination of classic Southern food and French technique, which was considered ahead of its time. Nathalie’s was destination dining for Atlantans. Located 45 minutes outside the city, diners included the Atlanta business and political crowd.

Soon, she garnered the attention of a decision-maker at Rich’s department store who asked her to help start the first participation cooking school in the South. She did not take the first offer, and negotiated not only a higher management-level salary but also a title that would open doors for her: Cooking School Director. It was from behind those stoves, teaching thousands of students—mostly women—that Nathalie committed herself to mentoring those who aspired to cook professionally.

It was through those experiences she had learned first-hand the power that women lacked in the culinary world. It irked her that women were rarely in positions of authority, struggling to gain entry and acceptance, and when employed, were often paid less.

A Lifetime of Achievement and Leadership

Among her many talents, being a connector was Nathalie’s greatest strength. She would gladly tell you exactly who to call for assistance with a project or idea and badger you until you followed through. Both Julia Child and Jacques Pepin made guest appearances at the cooking school in the 70s and when Nathalie was casting about for a solution to bringing like-minded culinarians together to foster collaboration, she enlisted their help. The result was the creation of the International Association of Cooking Schools (IACP) in 1978, a model for the gathering and exchanging of ideas and information, and a source of support, now going strong in its 43rd year. In 2019, she received their Lifetime Achievement Award.

She was a founding board member of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), an organization that documents, studies, and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. In 2004, SFA presented her with its Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award.

As a longtime member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, the preeminent global professional organization for women leaders in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, she was a founding member of the Atlanta and Charleston chapters, and instrumental in starting more than 10 other chapters, including Nashville and North Carolina. Her distinguished career has been recognized with the prestigious Grand Dame award of Les Dames d’Escoffier (LDEI), as well as 2013 Woman of the Year by the Maître Cuisiniers de France. The James Beard Foundation recognized her with its Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America award in 2015.