Leslie Revsin, 59, Broke Sex Barrier For Chefs in New York Haute Cuisine

Leslie Revsin, who died Monday at age 59, was the first chef to breach the sexist wall at major New York kitchens when she was hired at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in 1972.She went on to fulfill her dream of running her own, more intimate, French-oriented restaurant, cooked at a number of other top restaurants in the city, and wrote several cookbooks.A separated and stay-at-home mother living in Brooklyn Heights, Revsin in the late 1960s taught herself to cook elaborate, classical meals. Previously uninterested in gastronomy, she was inspired, her husband said, by a single, revelatory meal served to her by a friend. An autodidact with the fervor of a convert, it was not unusual for her to prepare a meal for friends that included such delicacies as pheasant pate en croute, mushroom consomme, sole Walewkska in Nantua sauce, and saddle of lamb with vegetables. She determined to make a career in haute cuisine.It was certainly unusual for a woman to seek work in the kitchens of New York’s top restaurants, and to hear her family tell the story, Revsin was laughed out of most of them. It was the Waldorf’s Chef Arno Schmidt that decided to take a chance on the woman who once described herself as “a very strong women’s liberationist.”Revsin’s first job was as a “kitchen man,” which normally involves dragging pots around the kitchen, although her first duties were mainly working as garde manager, overseeing cold appetizers. Soon, she was graduated to poissonier – the fish chef – and garnered rave reviews from Mr. Schmidt.After a couple of years at the Waldorf, during which she managed to complete the vocational cooking program at the New York Technical College, Revsin went on to work for several other restaurants.In 1977, she opened Restaurant Leslie, located on Cornelia Street in the space where the restaurant Home is today. Restaurant Leslie was the kind chefs dream of opening: totally driven by the personality of the head chef, with small touches that could be felt everywhere. The style was classic French, the space intimate and full of flowers, and a crimson and lilac rug hung in a canopy from the ceiling. The handwritten menu featured dishes that would become Revsin’s trademarks: double chicken breast with two kinds of mustard and bearnaise sauce with cornichons; scallop quenelles with sauce vin blanc; Roquefort beignets with apple puree. The restaurant offered a cheese course, then a rarity in a New York restaurant.Though fondly remembered by gourmet diners to this day, Restaurant Leslie lasted only until 1981, a victim of rising rents and, perhaps, an overly generous flower budget.Revsin went on to work at a string of other kitchens – One Fifth (now Otto, one of Mario Batali’s restaurants); the Bridge Cafe, and, when she later moved to Bronxville, the Inn at Pound Ridge.She was a presence on the New York food scene through the mid-1990s, her recipes printed in newspapers, her opinions sought for any article concerning women in upscale kitchens.She next moved to writing cookbooks. “Great Fish, Quick” was published in 1997 and nominated for a Julia Child Cookbook Award. “Come to Dinner,” which contained fancier recipes for home entertaining, was published in 2003.Revsin moved last year with her husband to a Seattle suburb, to be near her daughter and grandsons. Already ill, she completed work on a trilogy of cookbooks. The first, “The Simpler the Better: Sensational Home Cooking in 3 Easy Steps,” is due out in September, with two more titles due this winter.Leslie RevsinBorn October 19, 1944, in Chicago; died August 9 at home in Shoreline, Wash., of ovarian cancer; survived by her husband, Phillip Carlson, her daughter, Rachel Ramstead, two grandsons, and a brother.

Leslie Revsin, 59, Broke Sex Barrier For Chefs in New York Haute Cuisine

More from the New York Sun

‘Ask E. Jean’ Is a Hagiographic Look at the Gonzo Writer Who Has Twice Bested Trump in Court

Apple Is Hoping AI Will Solve Its Siri Problem

Switzerland Votes on Whether To Cap Its Population at 10 Million

More from the New York Sun

‘Ask E. Jean’ Is a Hagiographic Look at the Gonzo Writer Who Has Twice Bested Trump in Court

Apple Is Hoping AI Will Solve Its Siri Problem

Switzerland Votes on Whether To Cap Its Population at 10 Million

Designer Fashion Gets Increasingly Expensive as it Delivers Diminishing Returns

With Lawsuits Cleared and Tempers Flaring, UFC Readies for Trump’s Birthday Bashing at the White House

Critics Look to States To Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal After Justice Department’s Approval

White Students Are Now a Minority in American Schools, New Analysis Finds

Trump’s Name Removed From Kennedy Center After Federal Judge Rules Rebranding Unlawful