Born and raised in one of the culinary capitals of the world, Paris, France, cuisine has been Chef Héléa’s passion since birth. Her love of bringing people together through her cuisine was instilled during childhood, where she would constantly cook for family and friends. In 2006 she began her studies at Le Gué à Tresmes outside of Paris, where at the end of the intense five-year program in she earned her two diplomas in French Gastronomic Art & Multicultural Gastronomy with top grades.
During the same time, Chef Héléa began her career in the Paris food service industry, beginning as a cook. She quickly worked up to first Chef De Partie and Sous Chef and spent the next 10 years working in several 4-star hotels Paris, where she specialized in large corporate and private events.
In 2014 Chef Héléa decided to spend a year abroad in the United States, experiencing the American lifestyle and cuisine and strengthening her English. It was then that she met her now husband. Upon her return to France, she was determined to further her education in business, and completed a B.S. in Event Planning and Organization from EPH Paris XIV in 2016.
Chef Héléa moved permanently to the United States in 2017, landing in Northern California. There she was the first Executive Sous Chef at a Farm-to-Fork Italian restaurant in Sacramento. At the same time, she decided to put her culinary and business skills together and created À la Française, a private chef company focused on intimate, gastronomic experiences. In 2019, her, her husband, and À la Française transplanted to another cuisine mecca, Houston, Texas. Chef Héléa is fully dedicated as a private French Chef to some of the biggest families in the Houston area, bringing her over 16 years of gastronomic experience to her clients.