It’s official. Marie Eiffel is France’s newest chevalier — that’s right, a knight! The French Ambassador to the United States held a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Saturday, December 8 awarding her France’s National Order of Merit.
Félicitations, Marie!
The Ordre National du Mérite is the country’s second highest civilian honor, after the Legion of Honor. Eiffel is one of 610 new knights of the order named in a decree by President Emmanuel Macron. She was officially inducted during a stay at the French ambassador’s residence.
Nominated by French Ambassador
The honor is bestowed on individuals in France and abroad whose public service or civilian achievement meets criteria established by the order’s governing body. Leaders of France’s ministries propose candidates. Eiffel is one of 26 individuals, just two in the U.S., representing 22 countries put forth by the diplomats of France’s Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs.
Gérard Araud, the French Ambassador to the United States since 2014, will personally induct Eiffel into the order at a private meeting in December. Araud formerly served as France’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York City, during which time he visited Shelter Island. Eiffel says she met Araud when he was a customer in her café.
Inspiring entrepreneur
He asked how a native of France came to be running a gourmet market, catering and retail businesses on Shelter Island, of all places. She told him about an auto accident on the Long Island Expressway in 2002 that left her hospitalized for 20 months, and how it inspired her to change the course of her life.
Essentially homeless upon her release, she reinvented herself. Dropping her name in favor of a childhood nickname, she moved to the East End. A catering gig landed her on Shelter Island, where she decided to put down roots.
Along with her partner, Jason Penney, Eiffel transformed Redding’s Market on Bridge Street into a traditional French pâtisserie, eventually changing the name to Marie Eiffel Market. She also operates retail boutiques on Shelter Island and in Greenport.
Araud visits the market when he’s in town, Eiffel says. But she was astonished when she heard from a member of the ambassador’s staff earlier this year that he was nominating her to the National Order of Merit.
National Order of Merit
The Ordre National du Mérite was created in 1963 by President Charles DeGaulle. It recognizes individuals from all fields of activity in France and abroad. About 187,000 people worldwide, including the 610 knights added in May, comprise the order.
Nominees include individuals who’ve demonstrated at least 10 years of service and distinguished themselves through military or civil achievements. The governing body is the Grand Chancellerie de la Légion d’Honneur. It says the purpose of the order is threefold:
To reflect a dynamic society
“The National Order of Merit is intended to accommodate younger generations whose ‘valor does not await the passing of years.’ It is responsible for stimulating individual energy, uniting all intentions, and rewarding innovation and contributions to the renown of France.”
To set an example
“The Order is designed as a form of emulation so that all give their best and so that the community of recipients as a whole represents the civic spirit of France.”
To recognize diversity
“Finally, the National Order of Merit embodies the diversity of French society, its different cultures and social origins, and its new economic sectors (technology, internet, telecom, etc.). It recognizes the commitment of the younger generation. “Like the Legion of Honor, the National Order of Merit ensures true equality of access, so that all deserving citizens, whatever their place in society, can be recognized by the nation.”
Other new knights
Others joining Eiffel as knights of the National Order of Merit represent diverse areas of interest. They come from all walks of life. Inductees, some well known, others working in relative obscurity, include:
- Sculptor Thierry Courtadon
- Normaal Animation Studio founder Alexis Lavillat
- World champion blind para-climber Nicolas Moineau
- AIDS educator Jean-Michel Jobard
- Humanities professor emeritus Jean-Louis Pierre Charlet
- Public finance budget coordinator Dominique Geneviève Donnini
- School principal Yannick Emile Ratiarson
