Odessa Piper, famed chef and founder of Madison's L'Etoile restaurant, will receive an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from UW-Madison May 12 and will give the commencement address for College of Letters and Science graduates two days later.

Piper, 53, has been living with her husband, Terry Thiese, a wine importer, at their home in Silver Springs, Md., since selling L'Etoile last year to her chef de cuisine, Tory Miller, and his sister, Traci Miller.

Piper, whose awards include Best Chef in the Midwest from the prestigious James Beard Foundation in 2001, said she has enjoyed traveling with her husband through the wine regions of Europe. An advocate for sustainable agriculture and regionally reliant cooking, Piper networks with farmers and artisans in the U.S. and Europe, and shares her knowledge at culinary schools and restaurants.

She said she maintains close Midwestern ties through the Millers and the University of Wisconsin System, where she is an adjunct professor of food and nutrition at UW-Stevens Point. In fact, she was just in Madison on Friday for a "Spring Market Menu Planning Session" at L'Etoile's Caf  Soleil, and Saturday for an "Evening of Good Taste" at Madison Area Technical College's culinary arts program.

Piper is a member of Chefs Collaborative and Slow Food, and co-chairs a scholarship program for Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She is compiling her recipes into a cookbook. "Every dish has a story," she said.

- Brenda Ingersoll

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