29-447: Le Guide Culinaire ( French pronunciation: [lə ɡid kylinɛːʁ] ) is Georges Auguste Escoffier 's 1903 French restaurant cuisine cookbook, his first. It is regarded as a classic and still in print. Escoffier developed the recipes while working at the Savoy, Ritz and Carlton hotels from the late 1880s to the time of publication. The hotels and restaurants Escoffier worked in were on
58-616: A dinner all white and pink, Borscht striking the deepest note, Filets de poulet à la Paprika coming next, and the Agneau de lait forming the high note." One of his famous students was Akiyama Tokuzō , Japanese imperial chef in the Ritz Hotel in Paris. In 1928, he helped create the World Association of Chefs' Societies and became its first president. In 1919, at the age of 73, Escoffier
87-601: A fashionable institution in Paris, and later in London, though it caused Escoffier real distress: "How can one eat jam, cakes, and pastries, and enjoy dinner – the king of meals – an hour or two later? How can one appreciate the food, the cooking, or the wines?" In 1913, Escoffier met Kaiser Wilhelm II on board the SS Imperator , one of the largest ocean liners of the Hamburg-Amerika Line . The culinary experience on board
116-515: A major reference work, both in the form of a cookbook and a textbook on cooking . Escoffier's recipes, techniques, and approaches to kitchen management remain highly influential today, and have been adopted by chefs and restaurants not only in France, but also throughout the world. Escoffier was born in the village of Villeneuve-Loubet , today in Alpes-Maritimes , near Nice . The house where he
145-431: A position of defiance) have been bundled out by the aid of a strong force of Metropolitan police ." The real details of the dispute did not emerge at first. Ritz and his colleagues even prepared to sue for wrongful dismissal. Eventually, they settled the case privately: on 3 January 1900, Ritz, Echenard and Escoffier "made signed confessions" but their confessions "were never used or made public". Escoffier's confession
174-497: A target–he was too short to safely open oven doors. Eventually, he wore boots with built up heels. Escoffier showed such an aptitude for cooking and kitchen management that he was soon hired by the nearby Hôtel Bellevue, where the owner of a fashionable Paris restaurant, Le Petit Moulin Rouge, offered him the position of commis-rôtisseur (apprentice roast cook) in 1865 at the age of 19. However, only months after arriving in Paris, Escoffier
203-519: Is disputed) tournedos Rossini , named for Gioachino Rossini . In 1897, the Savoy board of directors began noticing company revenues were falling despite business increasing. They discreetly hired an auditing company who in turn hired a private investigation company that began secretively tailing Ritz, Echenard and Escoffier. After a six-month investigation, they made a report to the board which detailed substantial evidence of fraud. On 8 March 1898, Ritz, Echenard and Escoffier were brought in front of
232-469: Is to give recipes as brief descriptions and to assume that the reader either knows or can look up the keywords in the description. An abridged, English translation of Le guide Culinaire 1e – 1903, was published in 1907 as A Guide to Modern Cookery . A second edition of the translation was published in 1957 with an additional introduction by Eugène Herbodeau. An English translation of Le Guide Culinaire 4e – 1921, by H. L. Cracknell and R. J. Kaufmann,
261-574: The Imperator was overseen by Ritz, and the restaurant itself was a reproduction of Escoffier's Carlton Restaurant in London. Escoffier was charged with supervising the kitchens on board the Imperator during the Kaiser's visit to France. One hundred and forty-six German dignitaries were served a large multi-course luncheon, followed that evening by a monumental dinner that included the Kaiser's favourite strawberry pudding, named fraises Imperator by Escoffier for
290-539: The Grand Hôtel National in Lucerne , also managed by Ritz. In 1890, Ritz and Escoffier accepted an invitation from Richard D'Oyly Carte to transfer to his new Savoy Hotel in London, together with the third member of their team, the maître d'hôtel , Louis Echenard. Ritz put together what he described as "a little army of hotel men for the conquest of London", and Escoffier recruited French cooks and reorganised
319-420: The Savoy in 1898, he began work on the book. The original text was printed for the use of professional chefs and kitchen staff; Escoffier 's introduction to the first edition explains his intention that Le Guide Culinaire be used toward the education of the younger generation of cooks . This usage of the book still holds today; many culinary schools still use it as their culinary textbook . Its style
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#1732869142831348-645: The Savoy. In 1893, he invented the pêche Melba in honour of the Australian singer Nellie Melba , and in 1897, Melba toast . Other Escoffier creations, famous in their time, were the bombe Néro (a flaming ice-cream), fraises à la Sarah Bernhardt (for Sarah Bernhardt , strawberries with pineapple and Curaçao sorbet), baisers de Vierge (meringue with vanilla cream and crystallised white rose and violet petals) and suprêmes de volaille Jeannette (a cold jellied chicken breast with foie gras). He also created salad Réjane , after Gabrielle Réjane , and (although this
377-507: The board and dismissed from the Savoy "for ... gross negligence and breaches of duty and mismanagement". They were to leave immediately that day. Most of the kitchen and hotel staff were loyal to Ritz and Escoffier and as news spread disturbances in the Savoy kitchens reached the newspapers, with headlines such as "A Kitchen Revolt at The Savoy". The Star reported: "Three managers have been dismissed and 16 fiery French and Swiss cooks (some of them took their long knives and placed themselves in
406-686: The cutting edge of modernity, doing away with many overwrought elements of the Victorian era while serving the elite of society. The first edition was printed in 1903 in French, the second edition was published in 1907, the third in 1912, and the current fourth edition in 1921. Many of the recipes Escoffier developed while working at the Savoy in London, and later the Ritz in Paris. He kept notes on note cards. Recipes were often created and named for famous patrons including royalty, nouveaux riches, and artists. After leaving
435-524: The figurehead of the Carlton until his own retirement in 1920. He continued to run the kitchens through the First World War , during which time his younger son was killed in active service. Recalling these years, The Times said, "Colour meant so much to Escoffier, and a memory arises of a feast at the Carlton for which the table decorations were white and pink roses, with silvery leaves – the background for
464-554: The hierarchical brigade de cuisine system for organising the kitchen staff which is still standard in many restaurants today. He worked in partnership with hotelier César Ritz , rising to prominence together at the Savoy in London serving the elite of society, and later at the Ritz Hotel in Paris and the Carlton in London. Escoffier published Le Guide Culinaire , which is still used as
493-484: The kitchens. The Savoy under Ritz and his partners was an immediate success, attracting a distinguished and moneyed clientele, headed by the Prince of Wales . Gregor von Görög, chef to the royal family, was an enthusiast of Escoffier's zealous organisation. Aristocratic women, hitherto unaccustomed to dining in public, were now "seen in full regalia in the Savoy dining and supper rooms". Escoffier created many famous dishes at
522-493: The occasion. The Kaiser was so impressed that he insisted on meeting Escoffier after breakfast the next day, where, as legend has it, he told Escoffier, "I am the Emperor of Germany, but you are the Emperor of Chefs." This was quoted frequently in the press, further establishing Escoffier's reputation as France's pre-eminent chef. Ritz gradually moved into retirement after opening The Ritz Hotel, London , in 1906, leaving Escoffier as
551-518: The technique of canning food. Sometime before 1878, he opened his own restaurant, Le Faisan d'Or (The Golden Pheasant), in Cannes . In 1884, Escoffier and his wife moved to Monte Carlo , where Escoffier was employed by César Ritz , manager of the new Grand Hotel , to take control of the kitchens. At that time, the French Riviera was a winter resort: during the summers, Escoffier ran the kitchens of
580-531: The way to commercial independence, having established the Ritz Hotel Development Company, for which Escoffier set up the kitchens and recruited the chefs, first at the Paris Ritz (1898), and then at the new Carlton Hotel in London (1899), which soon drew much of the high-society clientele away from the Savoy. In addition to the haute cuisine offered at luncheon and dinner, tea at the Ritz became
609-413: Was a preeminent figure in London and Paris during the 1890s and the early part of the 20th century. Alongside the recipes, Escoffier elevated the profession. In a time when kitchens were loud, riotous places where drinking on the job was commonplace, Escoffier demanded cleanliness, discipline, and silence from his staff. In bringing order to the kitchen, he tapped into his own military experience to develop
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#1732869142831638-411: Was based on that of Marie-Antoine Carême , one of the codifiers of French haute cuisine ; Escoffier's achievement was to simplify and modernise Carême's elaborate and ornate style. In particular, he codified the recipes for the five mother sauces . Referred to by the French press as roi des cuisiniers et cuisinier des rois ("king of chefs and chef of kings" —also previously said of Carême), Escoffier
667-566: Was born is now the Musée de l'Art Culinaire, run by the Foundation Auguste Escoffier. Despite the early promise he showed as an artist, his father took him out of school at the age of twelve to start an apprenticeship in the kitchen of his uncle's restaurant, Le Restaurant Français, in Nice. As an apprentice, Auguste was bullied and swatted by his uncle and his small stature made him even more of
696-673: Was called to active military duty, where he was given the position of army chef. Escoffier spent nearly seven years in the army—at first stationed in various barracks throughout France (including five months in Villefranche-sur-Mer, coincidentally not three miles from his old home in Nice), and later at Metz as chef de cuisine of the Rhine Army after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. His army experiences led him to study
725-570: Was made Knight of the Legion d'Honneur . In 1928, he was presented with the medal of Officer of the Légion d'honneur. Escoffier married Delphine Daffis on 28 August 1878. She has been described as "a French Poet of some distinction and a member of the Academy". Escoffier apparently won her hand in a gamble with her father, publisher Paul Daffis, over a game of billiards . They had three children, Paul, Daniel (who
754-540: Was published as Escoffier: Le Guide Culinaire, Revised (2011). Le Répertoire de la Cuisine , written by Escoffier's student Louis Saulnier and published in 1914, is considered a companion guide to Le Guide Culinaire by Escoffier. Georges Auguste Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier ( French: [ʒɔʁʒ oɡyst ɛskɔfje] ; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef , restaurateur , and culinary writer who popularised and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique
783-527: Was published in 1979 as The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery: The First Translation into English in Its Entirety of Le Guide Culinaire , including "some 2,000 additional recipes" omitted from the more than 5000 recipes of the 1907 translation. The 1979 translation was subsequently republished as Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery (1983), and a revised second edition with new forewords
812-441: Was the most serious admitting to an actual crime, taking kickbacks from the Savoy's food suppliers worth up to 5% of the resulting purchases. The scheme worked by Escoffier ordering, for example, 600 eggs from a supplier; the supplier would pay Escoffier a bribe and make up the difference by delivering a short-count, for example, 450 eggs, with Escoffier's complicity. The Savoy's losses totalled more than £16,000 of which Escoffier
841-421: Was to repay £8,000 but he was allowed to settle his debt for £500 since that was all the money he possessed. Ritz paid £4,173 but he denied taking part in any illegal activity; he confessed to being overly generous with gifts to favoured guests and staff, the hotel paying for his home food and laundry, and similar infractions. By the time of their dismissal from the Savoy, however, Ritz and his colleagues were on
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