Odessa Piper is an American restaurateur and chef.
Piper grew up in New England, and developed an interest in food when she worked at a farm in Canaan, New Hampshire, which was led by a group that was interested in sustainable agriculture.
In 1969, Piper moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and worked with a mentor, JoAnna Guthrie, in Guthrie's restaurant, Ovens of Brittany. Piper was influenced by Guthrie, who used organic meats and produce that had been harvested or produced locally.
Piper and a partner co-founded the restaurant L'Etoile in Madison in 1976; Piper eventually assumed full ownership of the restaurant. Like Ovens of Brittany, the restaurant uses local meat and produce, including the wares of local farmers that are featured at the noted Dane County Farmers' Market. L'Etoile is part of a late 20th-century movement among some restaurants to create local cuisine using only regional food ingredients. Piper sold the restaurant in 2005.
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