18 Facts About Nora Pouillon

Nora Pouillon was born on October 26,1943 and is an Austrian chef, restaurateur, and author.

Nora Pouillon was the owner of Restaurant Nora in Washington, DC, famous for its status as America's first certified organic restaurant.

Nora Pouillon's family was affluent and owned a safety glass window factory.

Nora Pouillon would continue to spend summers at the farm with her grandmother.

Nora Pouillon soon had several home-based businesses in DC's Adams Morgan neighborhood where she hosted and taught cooking classes, and ran a casual catering service.

In 1979, Restaurant Nora Pouillon opened its doors on the corner of Florida Avenue and 21st in Washington, DC's DuPont Circle neighborhood.

Jimmy Carter was the first president to eat at Nora Pouillon's, and it was a favorite of Hillary Clinton; Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have dined there, as has Nancy Reagan.

Nora Pouillon began to investigate how to become an organic certified restaurant and learned that no certification process existed.

Nora Pouillon worked for two years with Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting and advocating organic food and farming.

Nora Pouillon complied with the lengthy requirements, and in 1999 Restaurant Nora became the first certified organic restaurant in the country.

In 1986, Nora Pouillon opened the now defunct City Cafe on M Street in West End, Washington, DC City Cafe was a casual modern American restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

In 1994, she changed the format to Asian cuisine and renamed the restaurant Asia Nora Pouillon, offering organic fusion cuisine.

In 1993, Nora Pouillon joined with chefs John Ash, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Nobu Matsuhisa, Michel Romano, and Alice Waters to found Chefs Collaborative, an organization dedicated to sustainable food practices.

Nora Pouillon is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a society of professional women involved in the food, wine, and hospitality industries.

Nora Pouillon is active in the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, an organization for women chefs and restaurateurs.

Nora Pouillon was a driving force behind the opening of the FreshFarm farmers' market in Dupont Circle in 1997, serving on the Board as FreshFarm expanded to more than ten markets throughout the city.

Nora Pouillon sits on the board of directors for the Ocean Foundation, the Amazon Conservation Team, the Earth Day Network, and the DC Environmental Film Festival.

Nora Pouillon has two children with her business partner, Steven Damato.