Roland Mesnier died of cancer on August 26, 2022, at an assisted living facility in Burke, Virginia. He was 78.
His son, George Mesnier, told the Washington Post that his father succumbed to complications from cancer.
The White House History also confirmed his death on Twitter. “Chef Roland Mesnier, longtime White House Executive Pastry Chef and one of the White House Historical Association’s best-selling authors passed away August 26, 2022“.
Roland Mesnier was a French-born naturalized American pastry chef and culinary writer.
Mesnier began his pastry career at the age of 14 before landing a job in the Carter administration in 1979 after then-First Lady Rosalynn Carter was reportedly taken by his scrumptious low-calorie creations, frequently made with fruit.
His creations during his twenty-five years as Executive Pastry Chef at the White House earned him the reputation of a creative genius.
On Mesnier’s days off from the White House he developed and taught the first professional Pastry Arts Program at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, MD – currently ranked in the top 10 Culinary schools in the United States.
Following his retirement in 2004, Mesnier wrote a book about his White House experiences, titled All the President’s Pastries (2007).
Chef Mesnier won 18 gold medals, 4 silver and 3 bronze for his pastry creations in competitions around the world.
He was a member of the Academie Culinaire de France and the recipient of many awards including the French Legion of Honor in 2005 – the highest honor bestowed on a French citizen.
In 2005, Mesnier was inducted into the Chocolate and Pastry Hall of Fame in New York.
He was awarded a Doctorate of Culinary Arts from the prestigious Johnson & Wales University in South Carolina.
Roland Mesnier is the author of three books, Dessert University, Basic to Beautiful Cakes and All the Presidents Pastries: Twenty Five Years at the White House, A Memoir.
He is survived by his wife Martha Mesnier and son, George Mesnier.