[2] His creations during his twenty-five years as Executive Pastry Chef (1980–2004) at the White House earned him the reputation of a creative genius.

He worked from 6am to 8pm six days a week, and in exchange received 300 francs a month, plus room and board, in addition to cooking lessons.

Mesnier lived in Hamburg and Hanover and learned marzipan modeling along with how to make cakes, cookies, and fondants, as well as the German and English languages.

Mesnier was hired as White House pastry chef in 1979 by First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and retired on July 30, 2004.

[7] A short time before his death, Mesnier entered an assisted-living facility in Burke, Virginia, where he died of cancer on August 26, 2022, at the age of 78.