Fathers of French cuisine – Escoffier
Unlike his predecessors, Auguste Escoffier cooked for the public. Not in private for royalty and high society as was the case with Antoine Careme. And to a lesser extent La Varenne. But building on the foundations laid by La Varenne and Careme, Escoffier donated the final refinements to French cuisine as we know it today.
Escoffier’s career began at the age of thirteen in his uncle’s restaurant in Nice. Here he received no favors as the boss’s nephew. And, as a result, he benefited from an arduous apprenticeship that he would later appreciate and, of course, take advantage of.
The opportunity to build what would become one of the most high-profile careers in French culinary history came when his talent caught the eye of a Parisian restaurateur, who invited Escoffier to join his team. After three years, Escoffier, at the ripe old age of twenty-one, became head chef of Le Petite Moulin Rouge. One of the best restaurants in Paris.
Escoffier’s next “career move” was not one of his choosing. At the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, he was called to serve at the stove. Although to some chefs this might have seemed like a step down the ladder of culinary advancement, it inspired Escoffier to study techniques for canning meats, vegetables, and sauces. As the military required foods that were well preserved.
After the war, Escoffier returned to Paris and to his position as chef de cuisine at Le Petite Moulin Rouge, remaining until 1878. Subsequently, he held several similar high-profile positions in Paris, Monte Carlo, and Switzerland. It was in Lucerne that Escoffier met a former hotel waiter who would further his career. Cesar Ritz.
Basically, Ritz had the hotels. And in each one, Escoffier directed the cooking show. At the Ritz in Paris. At the Savoy and the Carleton in London. Where clients included such luminaries as the Prince of Wales. It was also here that Escoffier would create a new dessert in honor of Australian singer Nellie Melba. A trifle called: “Peach Melba”.
During his twenty-year tenure at Carleton’s stove, Escoffier created some of his most famous dishes. Among them, “Chaud-Froid Jeanette” and “Cuisses de Nymphe Aurore”, a frog leg dish named after the Prince of Wales.
It was during this time that Escoffier would further refine the contributions of Careme and La Varenne. Simplifying Careme’s complex culinary approach, ditching excessive garnishes, heavy sauces, and elaborate preparations.
In addition to streamlining and simplifying French cooking, Escoffier also instituted similar reforms in the kitchen itself. Better work standards were his first achievement. Obviously attracting a better quality kitchen aid. Use and alcohol were prohibited. Hygiene standards were increased. And the French chef introduced the current “brigade” system. Where each chef is responsible for a certain section of the kitchen.
When Ritz had a nervous breakdown in 1901 and their association effectively ended, Escoffier turned his attention to recording his recipes and techniques. He produced five books. His first “Le Guide Culinaire” got off to a fast start, and remains today, the Chef’s “Bible”.
Although he had planned to retire in 1919, the year he turned 73, Escoffier was persuaded by the widow of his former boss at Le Petite Moulin Rouge to help with the management of the Hotel Hermitage in Monte Carlo. Later this aging but obviously inexhaustible dynamo also helped develop the Hotel Riviera there.
In addition to his books and cooking for the privileged, Escoffier also organized programs to feed the hungry and give financial aid to retired chefs.
Auguste Escoffier, the simple country boy from Villeneuve-Loubet who became the world’s second famous chef (after Careme) died in Monte Carlo in 1935, at the age of 89. He leaving a legacy of 10,000 recipes, five books and constant inspiration for everyone. that he appreciates French cuisine.
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