Colette Tatou - Parisian Chef Extraordinaire~

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, France. 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 with an overly slavish devotion to Gusteau's creative legacy.

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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 at first, until she realizes Linguini's attentiveness, and becomes more relaxed as time goes on. She becomes envious and disgruntled when Linguini impresses Skinner, and almost left her job because she felt betrayed by Linguini's revelation of Remy being the true chef controlling his actions.

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, and even comes back to aid Linguini during Anton Ego's return, after remembering said motto. She later ends up working as Remy's sous chef in Linguini's new bistro, La Ratatouille.

Physical appearance

Colette is a young woman. She has fair skin, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, a bulbous triangle nose, and short, neck-length burgundy-brown hair parted in the middle and styled in an A-line 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.

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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, signaling his disagreement.

Role in the film

Ratatouille-disneyscreencaps.com-5938 Colette, alongside Lingiuni, in 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, as the romance between him and Collette continues to blossom.

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 that Colette and Linguini are still in a relationship.

Key Personality Traits Assertive and Blunt: She speaks her mind directly and makes no apologies for her serious, businesslike demeanor in the kitchen.

Resilient and Fierce: As the only female cook at Gusteau’s, she had to work twice as hard to survive an old-fashioned, male-dominated hierarchy.

Perfectionist and Rule-Follower: She relies heavily on precise recipes and strict kitchen discipline, becoming anxious or frustrated when others improvise or mess up her workspace.

Passionate and Sincere: Beneath her intimidating, high-strung exterior, she cares deeply about the culinary art and genuinely wants mentors and partners like Linguini to succeed.

Other characters:

The Main ProtagonistsAlfredo LinguiniAppearance: Extremely tall, thin, and lanky with slouching posture. He has messy, curly red-orange hair, a prominent nose, and wide, expressive brown eyes. He wears an oversized chef's uniform that emphasizes his clumsy physique.Personality: Incredibly timid, clumsy, and well-meaning. Linguini lacks self-confidence and direction, struggling to find his footing until he partners with Remy. He is deeply loyal, humble, and gentle, willingly acting as the "vessel" for Remy's genius. Colette TatouAppearance: A sharp, stylish woman with a short, asymmetrical black bob haircut and dark eyes. She moves with fierce precision and carries herself with an assertive, unyielding posture.Personality: Fierce, hardworking, and intensely disciplined. As the only female chef in Gusteau’s kitchen, she is fiercely protective of her position and adheres strictly to classic culinary rules. Beneath her tough, intimidating exterior, she is profoundly fair, passionate, and deeply caring. The AntagonistsChef SkinnerAppearance: Extremely short in stature with a disproportionately large head, a thin mustache, and a constantly twitching face. His diminutive size is starkly contrasted by his aggressive, erratic body movements.Personality: Domineering, power-hungry, and deeply cynical. Skinner is a tyrannical head chef who cares far more about turning Gusteau’s legacy into a cheap, commercialized line of frozen microwave dinners than about quality food. He is highly paranoid, frantic, and easily driven into a comedic rage. Anton EgoAppearance: Tall, gaunt, and deathly pale, with a towering silhouette reminiscent of a vampire. He has sunken, dark eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a perpetual, unamused sneer. His office is even shaped like a coffin.Personality: Grim, fiercely cynical, and utterly unyielding. As Paris's top food critic, he takes grim pleasure in destroying reputations with his reviews. However, he is ultimately a man of profound artistic integrity; when genuinely moved by a dish, his icy exterior melts to reveal an appreciative lover of pure, honest culinary art.nThe LegacyAuguste GusteauAppearance: A massive, jolly man with a large round belly, a double chin, a jovial round nose, and a warm smile. In the film, he appears primarily as a glowing, ethereal figment of Remy’s imagination.Personality: Optimistic, larger-than-life, and deeply inspiring. He is fueled by a pure love for gastronomy and strongly believes that "anyone can cook". He acts as a gentle, wise, and encouraging mentor figure. The Kitchen Line ChefsThe kitchen staff functions like a ragtag crew, each with distinct, colorful backstories: Horst: A tall, broad-shouldered German sous chef with a slicked-back ponytail. He is serious and intimidating, and he changes his dark backstory every time someone asks (e.g., claiming he did time for "killing a man with this thumb"). Lalo: A short, stocky Haitian saucier with dark skin and a relaxed demeanor. He is easygoing and secretly ran away from home to join the circus as an acrobat.Larousse: The elderly, white-haired garde manger (pantry chef) with a thick mustache. He is experienced but eccentric, supposedly having a past operating as a gunrunner for the French Resistance.)Pompidou: The kitchen's pâtissier (pastry chef) who is tall and slender. He is a quiet individual rumored to have lost all his money gambling on horse races. Other Supporting CharactersMustafa: The tall, skinny, and perpetually stressed-out chef de salle (head waiter). He has a pencil mustache and is completely subservient to the high demands of the customers and Chef Skinner.Mabel: An elderly, frail-looking woman living in the French countryside. While elderly and short, she is fiercely aggressive when she discovers rats in her home, instantly wielding a shotgun and wearing a gas mask.Talon Labarthe: Skinner's sleek, sharp-dressed corporate lawyer. He is calculating, professional, and entirely money-driven, looking out strictly for the restaurant’s legal and financial assets.Nadar Lessard: The strict, humorless health inspector. He is a neat, thin man wearing large glasses who takes his city sanitation codes completely seriously.