The Story of Clotilde Bizolon

The Story of Clotilde Bizolon

Clotilde Bizolon, known throughout Lyon as Mère Bizolon, was one of the city’s most beloved figures, yet her story remains surprisingly little known today. In this episode of Fabulously Delicious, Andrew Prior explores how a widowed shopkeeper became “the mother of the soldiers,” offering warmth, food, and comfort to men passing through Lyon-Perrache during both the First and Second World Wars. Her life blends French food culture, community care, and the human side of wartime history.

Listeners will discover how Mère Bizolon created a simple refreshment stand that became a lifeline for soldiers: coffee, broth, chocolate, bread, and a moment of kindness served from a modest board-and-zinc shelter. Her generosity earned her the Légion d’Honneur and made her one of the most respected women in Lyon. Her work sits alongside the traditions of the Mères Lyonnaises, the women whose cooking and hospitality helped shape the city’s culinary identity.

This episode also explores the final, tragic chapter of her life: the assault in 1940 that led to her death, the unanswered questions surrounding the investigation, and the deep shock it caused across Lyon. Andrew recounts her funeral at the Basilica of Saint-Martin d’Ainay, the crowds who came to honour her, and the ways the city chose to preserve her memory — from a street named after her to her famous ladle now held at the Musée Gadagne.

For listeners passionate about French food history, Lyonnaise cuisine, and the women who shaped France’s culinary landscape, this episode offers a moving and insightful journey. It pairs beautifully with Mères Lyonnaises, The Story of Eugénie Brazier, The Story of Paul Bocuse, and Soup Onion with Beth Fuller. Join Andrew as he brings to life the legacy of Mère Bizolon, a woman whose simple acts of care left a lasting mark on Lyon and its food culture.

Transcript

Speaker: 0:03

This is fabulously delicious. The French Food podcast I'm your Imagine a single ladle, battered, wooden and stained with broth, so cherished that a museum preserves it as a national treasure. Behind it is the story of a kindness carried soldiers Stay with me, because you're The woman who fed an army, inspired a city and left a legacy that still flavors Leon today. Coated Beslan, better known as Mayor Beslan, literally Mother Beslan, became a cherished figure for France's First World War soldiers. They even nicknamed her Le Monde de Poilu, which translates quite wonderfully to the mother of the hairy mm. And yes, we'll get into that Her presence, warmth and care turned her into a symbol of comfort for the for the Palu passing through lion in their darkest days. Marie Joseph Corti Tiffany was in eighteen seventy one, in Her father, Jules Marie Alexander Tiffany, worked as a shoemaker, while her mother, Marie Jeannette Nicole, was a shepherdess. It was a modest rural household, craft, hard work, and the formed the quiet foundations of known to France as Mare. Bicillin colony sits in are a former province celebrated for only poultry in the world with This region's proud gastronomic the traditions of the Bouchon became a prized ingredient. So Clotilde's birthplace wasn't French culinary identity. Courted a young shepherdess Married Joseph Bisaillon, a After their wedding, she followed him to Lyon, where he opened his own shop and set up their life in the bustling parish district. Their only child, George, was August in eighteen ninety one, family stability and hope. Joseph established his shoemaking business at five rue Henry the Fourth, but tragedy struck early in eighteen ninety three. At just twenty two years old, cottage became a widow, left to raise her two year old son alone in a busy city far from her rural roots. It was this mix of hardship, resilience and deep empathy that would later shape the woman remembered as Mayor Beslan continued. Newly widowed and still only twenty two, refused to let grief define her. With thousands of soldiers streaming through Leon during the First World War, she decided to lift their spirits in the most direct and human way she could. She began with an improvised counter, just a few planks of wood laid across six wooden barrels, set up in the open air and exposed to every gust of wind. When the weather turned rough, hall, handing out free coffee, broth and, just as vital a few desperately needed them. As more soldiers passed through, friends and neighbours joined her efforts. Together they built a small outdoor bar near what Lyonnaise called Ampere Molé, a wet foot, a spot where men could pause, warm up and feel momentarily safe. The first version was makeshift and support of Lyon's mayor, Édouard Herriot. A sturdier, more dignified Donations followed help from her neighbour Madame Rochon and Doctor Mondain, and even from a wealthy American, John Jacob Hoff. With this growing support, known as the Soldiers Lunch The daily routine became a She served more than a thousand coffee, wine, and over the million meals to soldiers and Hard to imagine now, but for men and uncertainty, a bowl of soup Ted could change the entire British soldiers passing through warmth and humour, giving her Mum of the hairy. Their English rendering of La the Hairy Ones, was the term World War soldiers, a nod to life in the trenches. As her reputation grew, the warmly, calling her la mer de steadiness and almost maternal every exhausted soldier who Cultivars. Growing fame among the soldiers The Poilu adored her generosity, her warmth and the way that she made even a brief stop in Lyon feel like a moment of home to thank her. They often gathered around her counter and sang La Marlene, the wildly popular Soldier's Song of the era. In French, they would belt out la madeleine pour nous NE pas comme lui prend la taille o la menton. L re tout le monde qu'elle se Madeline. Madeline. Madeline. Des moines francais. It was a cheeky, affectionate tune about a barmaid who served drinks with a smile and tolerated the soldier's harmless and flirtatious, lighthearted escapism for men living through the unimaginable. In English, the spirit of the When Madeline comes to service a her petticoat and everyone tells The story in his own way. The Madeline for us is not When we take her waist or chin, That's all the harm she knows Nadolol Nadolol Nadolol. La madeleine is one of the most the First World War. It's a cheeky café concert tune troops, longing for a moment of and the terror of the trenches. It tells the story of Madeleine, a barmaid who serves drinks with a smile and tolerates the soldiers. They're harmless flirtations. An image of warmth, normality everything to the men living When these hairy soldiers known as at Lyon Station. They often sang la madeleine to her as a way of expressing gratitude. They weren't comparing her to the flirtatious heroine of the song. They were honouring her as the joy, comfort and escape. For them, the melody became a saying that her kindness defined by fear and exhaustion. This playful tune became a Cultivates devotion to them. Soldiers was tested in, well, In nineteen fifteen, at the very beginning of the First World War. Tragedy struck again, and in March of that year her only son, Sergeant George Basilone, was killed at just twenty four years of age, courted, was now forty four, already a widow, and now found herself well, completely alone. Before leaving for the front, she would continue her work for had happened to him. When the news of his death She threw herself even more Panache at Station, using work weight of her grief in honouring She transformed personal loss into an even deeper compassion for every soldier who passed her counter. Prematurely aged by grief and relentless work, became known among the troops as the mother of the soldier and the most disadvantaged. Despite having her little earth to secure the funds needed As more and more soldiers those soldiers, her counter coffee, broth or bread or even It was a place to unburden of their war, and to receive the that she offered so naturally. Word of mouth quickly spread. Sooner, humble Stan became a through the old. A nineteen seventeen newspaper reality with striking clarity. It describes a primitive holding up a plank, jugs of wheelbarrow filled with bread, exposed to the wind. Behind it stood a fragile little blue apron and black skirt, no four in the morning, serving hot When her shift ended, she didn't She went into the city to the article noted, she had no Generous, calm and strong. Through tears, she explained why She said, yes, it is for him Meaning her beloved son killed Then, with a smile breaking call out to the next soldier. Come, come, my brave little Chocolate. Coffee? No. Here we don't pay. After the war, Colt had quietly reshaped her life once again by transforming her late husband's former shoemaker's shop into a modest Bouchon lyonnaise, the kind of small, convivial eatery that would later become emblematic of Lyon's culinary identity even as she returned to civilian life. Her instinct to care for others She continued to involve herself the same generosity and warmth Her little Bouchon became not continuation of her lifelong community and dignity. Anybody who walked through the A quick little pause. Fabulous. If you're enjoying the show and goodness in your life, then come fabulously delicious Substack. For those of you who might be I was lucky enough to be a Australia back in. Well, I think it was twenty Yes, now it was. And that experience completely changed the direction of my life in food. Not long after, I packed up and And I've now lived here for more These days, I call the French Countryside Home, where I host intimate cooking classes and culinary experiences, sharing regional dishes, traditions, and little secrets that I've learned from living and cooking here in France. Substack is where I share the make it onto the podcast. My favorite French food France recipes that I'm tasting behind the scenes, stories from life in rural France, and all the delicious gossip that comes with being immersed in French food culture. Think of it as the bonus course which is fabulously delicious. A little more personal, a little more detailed, and very, very French. You can subscribe for free or If you'd like to support the more French food stories every generally makes a difference. So merci beaucoup to those paid You'll find the link in the show notes, or you can go to Andrew Pryor fabulously. Com for more information. Come for the croissants and stay If you love discovering the very indulge in Paris. Well, I have something rather My book, Paris A Fabulous Food Guide to the World's Most Delicious City, has just been newly updated. And it's bigger and better than The new edition offers over one exploring the history of food in just where to eat, but why Paris of the world in the first place. Alongside my favourite Fromagerie wine bars, markets, you'll now also find dedicated vegetarian dining in Paris, spots for those unforgettable highlight of locations featured So you can dine where they dine It's the guide I wish I'd had when I first started exploring Paris. full of personal addresses, and the kind of eyes after the first bite. You can order your copy directly Andrew Pryor fabulously. Com. It's also available on Amazon, locally, simply ask your to order it in for you. Support your local bookshops is So if a trip to Paris is on your horizon, or you simply want to dream about one from your kitchen table, Paris a fabulous food guide to the world's most delicious city is your delicious companion. Choltitz modesty only seemed to By the late nineteen twenties, she had become such a beloved figure in Lyon that in nineteen twenty nine, Prime Minister Édouard Edward Everett awarded her the Legion of Honour, recognizing her as one of the city's great humanitarians and in the eyes of many, the unofficial patron saint of the Bouchon Lyonnaise. A formal ceremony followed at Lyon City Hall on the eighteenth of January in nineteen thirty, honoring not just her wartime service, but the years that she had spent comforting the wounded, the blind and the forgotten after the Second World War. A commemorative plaque was placed at Lyon parish station to ensure that every traveller passing through would remember the woman who had once stood there in all weather, offering hope to those who needed it most. A local newspaper captured the public's admiration in a glowing tribute. It described her as the mother insisting that women like her all French people. The article painted a vivid picture of grateful former soldiers crowding her tiny shop on rue Henri de Thougth the moment news of her decoration spread, filling it with joy and affection. It recalled how she had comforted around a thousand soldiers a day during the war, using her own meagre income, the help of neighbours and the unexpected generosity of strangers to keep her work alive. Even after the armistice, she daily, especially tending to the The journalist marvelled at the letters that she had received Men who still wrote to her like a mother. Her legacy, the journalist patriotism and a heart that Marlene Dietrich added an unexpected and, well, glamorous footnote to call Ted's legacy when she performed la madeleine in Paris during the fourteenth of July celebrations of nineteen thirty nine. By then, the song had been long adored Colette and sang it to in gratitude of their affection. Dietrich's performance on the eve of another looming war gave the tune a renewed emotional charge. Hearing one of the world's most very song that was once her humble wartime canteen in celebration in Paris, story and The Soldier's Song had memory, coated entered the Already a legend in Lyon between the two wars, she had continued running her tiny shop once her husband's shoemaker's workshop, now on models and people travelled from far beyond the city just to meet the woman decorated with the Legion of Honour. Tens of thousands of soldiers through her hands during the Americans, English Canadians and countless others who stopped at Leon remembered her with international affection. Postcards bearing her image into one of the most Her charitable work only Newspaper articles of the time captured the scale of her impact. One nineteen thirty piece described her as the mum of soldiers, recalling how she had begun her work on the eleventh of August in nineteen fourteen, at three in the morning, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with coffee and chocolate to the station platform. For five years she repeated the same ritual serving steaming bowls from a plank balanced on two chairs. Visiting hospitals in the coin that was offered to her. It's not up to those who will Her popularity spread through the army, as soldiers shared their stories of the welcome that they received from her and Lennon. The article also reminded readers of her origins a shepherdess virgin who, through sheer will and compassion, became one of the most moving symbols of lions, charity and patriotism. When the Second World War broke out, Coultard was sixty eight and had already hung up her apron. But the moment soldiers once again filled the station, she returned to her post without hesitation. The great coffee pot was back in service like in nineteen fourteen, though this time the soldiers were no longer called Harry. She served mulled wine, coffee, broth, bread, chocolate, tea, biscuits, whatever donations that allowed lions population rallied around her and municipal support ensured that she never lacked supplies. Yet age was catching up with Her legs weakened and standing Even so, she persisted, driven had defined her life's work. Sadly, cottage life ended in tragedy that shocked Leon on the twenty ninth of February in nineteen forty. She was violently assaulted in A delivery man, alarmed by faint moans behind her door, discovered her gravely injured and bleeding. She was taken to the hospital in third of March in nineteen The crime was never definitely At the time, police suspected a unrelated matter who died likely by suicide. Authorities labelled him the probable murderer, though no testimony or evidence ever confirmed this. Years later, a witness came forward claiming he had seen a rather tall soldier leaving the service door behind his home on the night of the attack, but in the chaos and disorganization of early war France, this testimony was never taken, leaving her death shrouded in uncertainty and sorrow. Leon responded to her death with Her funeral was held at the Basilica of Saint Martin, one of the city's most historic churches. Hundreds attended. Described in the press as monas, a testament to how deeply she had touched the lives of ordinary people and soldiers alike. After the service, she was laid to rest, joining her husband and son. The ceremony was solemn, dignified and profoundly emotional. The city's sense of having lost not just a charitable figure, but a maternal presence who had comforted generations of soldiers. The day after her death, Leon entered a period of collective mourning. The famous soldiers lunch at the Above it, the French flag draped Veterans associations, city Lyonnaise filed past her coffin Newspapers described the emotion in the city as immense, a grief that would take a long time to subside. Many believed that her generosity had made her appear wealthier than she was, perhaps attracting the wrong kind of attention. Others thought the crime was the What remained so was the depth Soldiers from across France and than one hundred thousand continued to visit her shop mother in death, as in life Lyon's most beloved figures, a and unwavering human kindness. After the Second World War, Lyon ensured that Coty's legacy lived on in the fabric of the city itself. A street in the second arrondissement was named in her honour. Placing her memory directly into the daily life of the neighbourhood that she had served so faithfully, the Musee Gadagne also preserved one of her most symbolic objects, the great ladle that she used to serve broth, coffee and chocolate to thousands of soldiers, treating it as a treasured artifact of Lyon's humanitarian history. Her birthplace likewise street after her as well, this extraordinary life that she These gestures ensure that her story remains visible not only to historians, but to the ordinary people, the same streets she once knew and walked along. Now they walk along them as where her legend was born. The city erected a dedicated outdoor counter and fireplace to An architectural tribute to the in all weather, offering warmth This refreshment bar became a A simple prefabricated structure drinks soup, coffee, tea, delicacies that she could find, Her broths and sausages became a onion soup served. Steaming to exhausting soldiers, was remembered as common currency. Like the future Bouchon hearty and rooted, generosity The simplicity of her food reflected the simplicity of her mission to nourish, comfort, and restore dignity to those who pass through Lyon in their darkest hour. If you'd like a little more fabulously delicious between episodes, then come join me on Instagram. I'm Andrew Prior, fabulously. That's where I share bite size French food history, fun facts, behind the scenes moments, and plenty of everyday life in France. It's the perfect little snack And if you prefer to watch the can find full video episodes Same stories, same Just with my face attached. More food, more stories and more Come join the party. It's Trey Strobel. Voila. That's the end of this episode I'm Andrew Prior, and thank you for joining me as we honored the remarkable life of mayor along the woman whose generosity, broth, and bravery shaped Lyon's culinary soul through two world wars. If her story moved you, inspired you, or made you crave a steaming bowl of onion soup at a Lyonnaise Bouchon. Marvelous. And if you enjoyed this episode? Leave a review, share it with a fellow Francophile and come and say Bonjour! I always love hearing from you. If you would like to explore more stories connected to this one, you might enjoy my episodes that I've done on the Mare Lyonnaise, the story of Eugene Brazier and the story of Paul Bocuse. Of all of which dive deeper into Lyon's extraordinary culinary heritage. Just search on the podcast Until next time, eat well, stay better with butter, they say. And as I always say, whatever Merci beaucoup. Bon app a bientot.