Roland Mesnier’s estimated net worth was approximately $3 million at the time of his death. He accrued this wealth through his profession as a 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.
Roland Mesnier died of cancer on August 26, 2022, at age 78 at an assisted living facility in Burke, Virginia.