The sous chef at ‘Daniel’ in NYC brings modern leadership into one of the world’s most demanding culinary environments, one unique dish at a time.
It is always surreal to learn about all those professionals who, knowing how challenging it would get for them in their chosen niches with saturation and competition, have put in their all and created unique success stories for themselves, all on their own. Even more incredible is the fact that most of such highly-driven and high-performing professionals have been women across sectors, who, despite the male-domination in their niches, have fought tooth and nail to make their mark and stand as inspirational figures, growing off of their passion, perseverance, and most importantly, a powerful purpose of making a difference in their niche. French chef Coralyne Desselier has been all about this and more.
For Coralyne Desselier, cooking was never simply about food, but something that connected to place, memory, discipline, and respect. These values rooted deeply in her upbringing in southwest France has what helped her reach where she is today in her career, working as a sous chef at Daniel, a one-of-a-kind restaurant driven classical French technique in New York. Working at the restaurant, she represents a growing generation of culinary professionals reshaping fine dining through precision, resilience, and leadership. In the past decade, she has built a career across Michelin-starred kitchens in France before bringing her experience to the United States.
She was born and brought up in the countryside near the oceans and mountains of southwest France and grew up surrounded by fresh produce, regional cooking traditions, and local markets. Food was not treated as a convenience, as seen in many families in rural France, but as part of daily life and culture. Meals were built around seasonal ingredients, and quality mattered a lot. These early experiences shaped her understanding of cooking long before she entered the professional realm.
Her formal culinary learnings started at Biarritz Atlantique Culinary School, where she studied the technical foundations of French cuisine. After graduating at just 19, she worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants across different regions of France, including the French Alps, the Riviera, and Alsace. Each region offered its own culinary identity and traditions, exposing her to different techniques, ingredients, and approaches to gastronomy. One of the most defining chapters of her career came in Biarritz, where she spent six years working at L’ Impertinent alongside Chef Fabian Feldmann. It was here she emphasizes that she learned the true meaning of respecting ingredients and the people who cultivate them.
Coralyne Desselier’s experiences of working in a Michelin-starred kitchen made her understand how service moves quickly, expectations remain high, and consistency is non-negotiable. These experiences helped her further understand the importance of teamwork and precision. She also understood that fine dining kitchens are where chefs learn the technical skills, while also understanding the importance of mental resilience, adaptability, and emotional control. She has navigated through the male-dominated industry, where haute cuisine remains heavily driven by males at the highest levels. Statistics of the industry also show how only a small number of women worldwide hold the distinction of three Michelin stars, the highest recognition in fine dining. For Desselier, this became her motivation behind her move to New York.
However, this also came along with several challengers for her, where she had to adapt to a new culture, a different kitchen environment, and the challenge of communicating in English while maintaining performance under pressure. Leadership today has become an increasingly important part of her work. She now supervises younger cooks from across the world and helps guide them professionally.
Lastly, Coralyne Desselier hopes that young women understand that ambition shouldn’t be limited by background or industry stereotypes. She wants every woman, particularly young women, to know that everything is possible with consistent work, support, and determination.
