Hortense Laborie, a cook from the French provinces, is astonished: the Elysée Palace asks if she would like to be the personal chef of the French president and be responsible for his personal menu. A challenge that Hortense is only too happy to accept. Thanks to her brash and unconventional manner, she soon succeeds in asserting herself in the palace's sworn male domain. Her authentic and down-to-earth cooking enraptures the French head of state and takes him back to long-forgotten childhood days. More and more often, the president sneaks into her kitchen at night to ponder over exquisite red wines and the finest truffles. But the president's favor earns Hortense many envies, and her unorthodox style is difficult to adapt to etiquette and bureaucracy. Soon she has to decide whether she wants to continue cooking for the most important man in the state.