CORD Restaurant CORD by Le Cordon Bleu / Steven Joyce Arguably one of the world’s most famous cookery schools, Le Cordon Bleu remains the epitome of French culinary tradition—its legacy stretching back to 1895. What fascinates me most, is that it all began not with a chef, but with a writer: French journalist Marthe Distel, who launched La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu, the first culinary magazine in France, sharing her most coveted recipes with readers.