Roland Mesnier was a French-born naturalized American pastry chef and culinary writer. He was born on July 8, 1944 and died on August 26, 2022 at age 78.
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Mesnier was born into a family of nine children in the village of Bonnay, France.
His interest in becoming a chef was aroused he visited his brother’s pastry shop in a nearby city and was delighted by the smell of fresh fruit in the kitchen.
When he was fourteen, his mother secured an apprenticeship for him at a pastry shop in Besançon, where he worked from 6am to 8pm six days a week, and in exchange received 300 francs a month, plus room and board, in addition to cooking lessons.
While there, he was also exposed to puff pastry and chocolate molding, which laid the groundwork for his future specialties.
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At 17 years, he passed his apprenticeship exam and began to look for work that would enhance both his skills and his reputation.
Eventually he found his way to Paris, working in a restaurant and pastry shop near the Opéra Garnier.
He soon mastered all there was to learn in Paris, and on the advice of his employer he went to West Germany, where techniques were more advanced.
Mesnier lived in Hamburg and Hanover and learned marzipan modeling along with how to make cakes, cookies, and fondants, as well as the German and English languages.
Mesnier was hired as White House pastry chef in 1979 by First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and retired on July 30, 2004.
After retiring, Mesnier wrote a book about his White House experiences, titled All the President’s Pastries (2007).
Mesnier’s creations during his twenty-five years as Executive Pastry Chef (1979–2004) at the White House earned him the reputation of a creative genius.
A short time before his death, Mesnier entered an assisted-living facility in Burke, Virginia, where he died of cancer.
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