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Women of Distinction

Monique Frey

PROVIDING THE ULTIMATE

CULINARY EXPERIENCE

By Judith A. Habert

Photos courtesy of Monique Frey

sidered a gift, and every meal professionalism, and courte- involved in creating programs,
is prepared with a lot of love. sy when dealing with client only this time I did so at my
The freshness of ingredients interaction. “I was trained to daughters’ schools I was help-
really impressed me, in many be receptive to client’s needs ing create and run events, sit-
cases there weren’t refriger- always anticipating what ting on committees, and being
ators in these areas, simply they needed, sometimes even very involved with hospitality
ice boxes, since everything is before they knew what they and everything that had to do
farm to table, there is no need needed. That experience truly with it, because that was really
for long term storing of their molded me.” the world in which I felt most
delicacies.” Monique ended up doing comfortable.
As a young girl, Monique Upon returning home, event planning with sales and When her children got
Frey did not have a lifelong Monique immediately went catering at the hotel. “I was, a bit older, Monique had the
dream of becoming a world- all of a sudden, being exposed opportunity to go through Le
class chef, or even owning to clients from every walk of Cordon Bleu training. “That
her own catering company, life, including government was truly an experience and to
but a study abroad program officials and Hollywood celeb- be perfectly honest, there were
in France caused her to fall in rities. I felt like that’s where I times where I didn’t think I
love with the culinary world. found the ‘Aha’ moments for was going to make it through,
Born in New York and myself, not only was it what and I asked myself, what are
raised in Los Angeles, Mo- I liked doing, but I felt like I you doing here? Because
nique was the oldest of four excelled in this area. similar to other things in life
children, with parents who I found myself working that we’ve all experienced,
strived for their children to not only with clients, but also it required a tremendous
be the best they could be. with chefs, and I think that ul- amount of discipline. And it
All were classically trained timately, that’s what led me to, required a huge amount of
and played concert piano. By to work in the hotel industry. develop a very strong passion being humble, which I think
the time Monique graduated “I was hoping that I’d be able for the culinary world.” are wonderful attributes for
High School she was fluent to use my second language, When my children were all of us.”
in French, having started for some kind of a career, but born I stepped out of the I had considered open-
her study of the language in as it happens, I fell into the workplace for that time period ing a restaurant or possibly a
kindergarten. So, when the hotel industry and remained while I was raising them, but high-end gourmet take-out
opportunity was presented in this field for years. I worked I never really stopped being food store, but with what I
to her to study abroad, she in small boutique hotels in
jumped at the opportunity Los Angeles and eventually
and spent two years venturing ended up at the Four Seasons,
throughout France and spend- Beverly Hills property, which
ing a good amount of time was an earmark career-wise
in the South of France. “This for me because they hold the
really was a game changer for standards that I now, later in
me. I pretty much fell in love life, have taken into my own
with France, the culture, and personal and professional life.”
in essence the food, but not In this position, Mo-
only the food itself, but the nique was held to the highest
way food is treated. It is con- of standards in hospitality,

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