Miss Colette Tatou

“*No! You waste energy and time! You think cooking is a cute job, eh? Like Mommy in the kitchen? Well, Mommy never had to face the dinner rush when the orders come flooding in, and every dish is different and none are simple, and all of the different cooking times, but must arrive at the customer's table at exactly the same time, hot and perfect! Every second counts, you cannot be mommy!*”―Collette to Linguini[src]

**Colette Tatou** is the tritagonist of Disney•Pixar's 2007 animated feature film, *Ratatouille*. She worked as the rôtisseur chef and self-proclaimed “toughest cook in the kitchen” of Gusteau's in Paris. As the restaurant's only female cook, Colette was at an immediate disadvantage due to the misogynistic views within her profession. She nevertheless proved herself to be gifted and fierce through years of hard work, though she also developed a temperamental and domineering disposition.

## Background

### Personality

Colette is shown to be an assertive and opinionated French woman who likes to act tough, especially in front of Linguini. She claims that the reason she is the only woman in the kitchen is that she is the "toughest cook in the kitchen". When she is forced to train Linguini, she is brutal and harsh in doing so. She becomes envious and disgruntled when Linguini impresses Skinner, and almost left her job only because she thinks Linguini is being snobbish with her.

She is a firm believer in Gusteau's motto, "Anyone can cook". This is shown when she defended Linguini from being fired and even believed Linguini when he said Remy can really cook. She later ends up working as Remy's sous chef in Linguini's new bistro, La Ratatouille.

### Physical appearance

Colette is a young woman with fair skin, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, and short, brown hair styled in a bob cut. She wears a chef's uniform like the rest of the kitchen staff, but does not wear a toque like Linguini or Skinner.

### Powers and abilities

Colette is a competent cook, but her cooking skills are still nowhere near Remy's own. However, due to her domineering nature, she is often convinced that she is right even when she still has much to learn. Because of this, Remy (who is controlling Linguini) is often at odds with Colette for rejecting her advice and even preventing her from altering his dish, unaware of the fact that original recipe of the dish is a disaster and that Skinner is attempting to set Linguini to fail. When Linguini tells Remy that Colette "also knows how to cook", he harshly yanks Linguini's hair, signalling his disagreement.

## Biography

### *Ratatouille*

Colette is the only female cook in Chef Skinner's kitchen at Gusteau's. She is a capable cook who is able to enter the masculine world of haute cuisine. She had defended Linguini from being fired as a garbage boy when Skinner caught him "cooking" the soup in which Remy had made. Skinner reluctantly agrees not to fire Linguini, but holds Colette responsible for Linguini's "cooking career", forcing her to train him in the ways of the kitchen. She was at first unaware of Linguini's admiration for her, but she soon realizes that he is attentively following her training and appreciates his respect for her skills. Colette felt disgruntled when Skinner took a personal interest into Linguini, unaware to the fact that Skinner is actually suspicious of Linguini and is attempting to find out the truth about him.

The next day, she tells a sleepwalking Linguini (puppeteered by Remy) that she likes him, and storms out after mistaking his lack of reaction for snobbishness. Linguini awakens and struggles to tell her the truth. Colette, puzzled and frightened by his actions and raving behavior, slips a hand into her bag for a canister of pepper spray. Remy desperately makes Linguini fall onto Colette to prevent him from talking further, and the two kiss. Colette is equally surprised as Linguini but quickly falls in love, dropping the pepper spray. A romantic relationship quickly blossoms after this incident.

Remy later finds out that Linguini is the son of Gusteau and rightful owner of the restaurant, and steals the documents that prove this from Skinner's office. Skinner tries to stop him, but is unsuccessful. Remy later hands the documents to Linguini, who subsequently takes ownership of Gusteau's before firing Skinner.

Food critic Anton Ego arrives with a challenge for the restaurant, and Colette prepares only to discover that Linguini had no ability to cook. Linguini admits that Remy is the real cook and that Remy's been controlling his actions from under his toque. The rest of the staff walks out, feeling deceived and betrayed by Linguini. Colette nearly slaps Linguini, but restrains herself before leaving in tears. However, she remembers Gusteau's motto: "Anyone can cook" (a phrase she deeply believes in) and returns to aid Linguini and Remy in the cooking.

Ego is successfully dealt with, and he requests to see the chef. Reluctantly in part how Ego immediately assumes she is the chef in defiance of the profession's discriminations, she allows Remy to be unveiled as the true chef with a thorough explanation and demonstration and Ego leaves, reformed. Later, Gusteau's was closed down due to rats in the kitchen, but Colette has found cooking at a new Parisian bistro, along with Linguini and Remy, with Ego as a patron and queues stretching around the block. It is also implied Colette and Linguini are still in a relationship.

### Other appearances

Colette appears on a magazine cover in *Inside Out* when Riley pretends the floor is lava in her old home.

## Trivia

* Aside from being the only female chef in Gusteau's Restaurant, Colette is also the only main female character that appears in *Ratatouille*. The second female character is Celine from Ratatouille: The Video Game.
* In *Your Friend the Rat*, there is a scene where Remy is holding hands with a little girl that looks like her.