The descendant of generations of patissiers -- he said one of his ancestors had worked for Louis XIV and another for the celebrated 19th century chef Antonin Careme -- Sender had been employed in courts in Belgium, Britain, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden.

A specialist in prestige pieces, he created the cake for the royal wedding of Britain's heir to the throne and for Belgium's King Baudouin.

He also contributed special show items for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris and for an exhibition on sugar at the Centre Pompidou in 1985-1986.

During his life he amassed a collection of 6,000 works on the culinary arts from the 16th century to the present day.

He co-authored a history of cake and sweet making in France.

Sender had died on July 12 after a long illness, his family said.

Fellow chefs and patissiers will pay their respects to him at a religious service in Plaisir, west of Paris, on Tuesday.

AFP/Expatica