Nora Pouillon facts for kids

Nora Pouillon (born October 26, 1943) is an Austrian chef, restaurant owner, and author. She owned Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C.. This restaurant became famous for being America's very first place to be officially certified as organic.

Nora Pouillon's Life Story

Growing Up

Nora Pouillon was born in Vienna, Austria, during World War II. Her family was wealthy and owned a factory that made safety glass. They managed to leave Vienna in the last years of the war. They found safety on a farm in the Tyrolean Alps owned by family friends.

Nora remembers this time well. She said, "The farmers there grew all their own food. It showed me how truly hard that is. They woke up with the sun and worked until it set. They had to get food ready for the winter months. There was no electricity or running water."

After the war, Nora and her family went back to Vienna. She attended a boarding school there. She continued to spend her summers at the farm with her grandmother.

Moving to America

In the 1960s, Nora moved to the United States with her husband. He was a French journalist. This move showed her a big difference between food in Europe and America. In Europe, people often bought food from farms and open-air markets. In America, after World War II, supermarkets were very popular.

Nora noticed the change. She said, "At the stores here, it was amazing to see all the prepackaged and frozen food. Nothing depended on the season. Pepperidge Farm seemed like fancy bread. The produce section was the smallest part of the store."

As a mom with young children in the 1960s and 1970s, Nora shopped and cooked for her family every day. Around this time, food cooperatives started to become popular. These groups offered different, organic, and whole food choices. They were an alternative to regular grocery stores.

Nora soon started several small businesses from her home in D.C.'s Adams Morgan neighborhood. She taught cooking classes and ran a casual catering service.

Nora's Cooking Career

Opening Her First Restaurant

A big moment in Nora's cooking career happened in the mid-1970s. One of her students asked if she wanted to open the first restaurant inside the old Tabard Inn. She became known for serving local tomatoes and homemade mayonnaise. Soon, she started planning to open her own restaurant.

Restaurant Nora Opens

In 1979, Restaurant Nora opened its doors. It was located in Washington, D.C., near DuPont Circle. Famous journalist Sally Quinn and her husband, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, were early customers and helped Nora financially. Quinn gave Nora some advice: "Don’t say anything about being healthy and natural. That sounds so unappetizing. That sounds like hippie food." But Nora didn't listen.

Because Bradlee and Quinn supported it, Restaurant Nora quickly gained many loyal customers. By the early 1990s, it was a popular spot for important people in D.C.'s media and politics. President Bill Clinton even held his first party after becoming president at the restaurant.

Many presidents and first ladies ate at Nora's. Jimmy Carter was the first president to visit. Hillary Clinton loved the restaurant. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama also dined there, as did Nancy Reagan. When asked about her famous customers, Nora said, "Neither of the Bush presidents ever came to Nora’s, but Laura Bush came, along with her two daughters. Good food, it seems, is also bipartisan."

Restaurant Nora closed in June 2017 when Nora Pouillon retired.

America's First Certified Organic Restaurant

Nora wanted her restaurant to be certified organic. But she found out there was no official way to do this for restaurants. So, she decided to help create the rules herself. She worked for two years with Oregon Tilth. This group helps and supports organic food and farming. The Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Program was set up in 1982. It is now an official group that certifies organic products for the USDA.

The new rules said that 95 percent of the food a certified restaurant used had to come from USDA certified organic farms. Nora explained, "This meant getting proof of organic certification from all our suppliers." She followed all the many rules. In 1999, Restaurant Nora became the first certified organic restaurant in the entire country.

For many restaurants, getting and keeping this certification is a lot of work and can be expensive. Nora told Organic Connections Magazine: "People don’t always understand how complicated and time consuming it is. Almost everything has to be organic, even the spices and coffee. It’s a lot of work to find certified organic farmers and track down certification papers from 35-plus suppliers every year. This process has to be done each year because the certificates have to be renewed each year."

Other Restaurants

In 1986, Nora Pouillon opened another restaurant called City Café. It was on M Street in West End, Washington, D.C.. City Café was a casual American restaurant. In 1994, she changed it to serve Asian food and renamed it Asia Nora. This restaurant offered organic fusion cuisine. Nora closed the popular Asia Nora in 2007.

Working for Change

Nora Pouillon has also been very active in promoting good food practices. In 1993, she joined other famous chefs like Alice Waters to start Chefs Collaborative. This group works for sustainable food practices. This means growing and making food in ways that are good for the environment and people.

Nora is also a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier. This is a group of professional women in the food, wine, and hotel industries. She is also active in Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, another group for women in her field.

Nora helped a lot to open the FreshFarm farmers' market in Dupont Circle in 1997. She served on the board as FreshFarm grew to have more than ten markets in the city.

She is also on the board of directors for several environmental groups. These include the Ocean Foundation, the Amazon Conservation Team, the Earth Day Network, and the DC Environmental Film Festival. From 1998 to 2000, Nora spoke for the "Give Swordfish a Break" campaign. This campaign was for NRDC/SeaWeb. In 2005, Nora and her business partners started Blue Circle Foods. This company sells sustainable seafood. They focus on knowing where the fish comes from, how the animals are treated, food safety, and quality.

Awards and Honors

Nora Pouillon has received many awards for her work:

• 1996: U.S.A. Chef of the Year, American Tasting Institute.
• 1997: Chef of the Year, International Association of Culinary Professionals Award of Excellence.
• 2009: Genesis Award, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.
• 2010: StarChefs Innovator Award, for her Contribution to American Cuisine.
• 2011: Pioneers Table, Chefs Collaborative.
• 2017: Women and Green Economy (WAGE®) Award, Earth Day Network.
• 2017: Lifetime Achievement Award, James Beard Foundation.
• 2018: Goldenes Verdienstzeichen, Decoration of Merit in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria.

Personal Life

Nora Pouillon was married once to a French journalist. They had two sons. That marriage ended in divorce. Nora also has two children with her business partner, Steven Damato.