Who Was Auguste Escoffier? The Story Behind the King of Chefs
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When you’re eating at a restaurant, have you ever thought about why the courses come out one after another, rather than all at once? Or why cooks are always saying “Yes, chef,” as if they’re speaking to a commanding officer? Or even about the fact that there are so many professionally trained chefs in the first place? It wouldn’t be surprising if you said no—these things are so ingrained in food and restaurant culture, it can seem like they’re just “how it is.”
But in truth, these and many other principles are either largely or solely due to the influence of one man—Georges Auguste Escoffier. One of the most influential Western chefs in history, Escoffier introduced many foundational concepts that still define cuisine today, more than a century after he retired from the kitchen.
Let’s take a closer look at the story of our school’s namesake, and learn how he came to leave his lasting legacy.
An Inauspicious Start to a Legendary Career
Georges Auguste Escoffier was born in in Villeneuve-Loubet, a small village in the French R
Escoffier, Georges-Auguste
ESCOFFIER, GEORGES-AUGUSTE. Georges-Auguste Escoffier (&#x;) was born in Villeneuve-Loubet in France, a village located between Nice and Cannes. During his lifetime he was proclaimed "the finest cook I ever met" by César Ritz of the world-famous Ritz Hotels. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany praised Escoffier's exceptional culinary talent, telling him "I am the emperor of Germany, but you are the emperor of chefs." Escoffier was more than just a great chef. He is credited with simplifying the complex French haute cuisine of the day&#x;he favored less elaborate dishes, prepared lighter sauces, and used more seasonal ingredients. His reorganization of the professional kitchen eliminated duplication of efforts and resulted in more efficient operation.
Growing up, Escoffier's chief interest was art; he loved to draw and yearned to be a sculptor. However, his grandfather and his father, who was a blacksmith and also grew tobacco, decided otherwise; they said he needed a trade, and they arranged his apprenticeship at age thirteen in his uncle's Restaurant Français in Nice.
At age eighteen, Escoffier was cooking at the Hotel Bellevue in Nice and makin
Auguste Escoffier: biography, contributions and works
Content
Auguste Escoffier () was a 19th century French chef, responsible for designing a practical system that gave restaurants a degree turn. His innovation turned restaurants into pleasant, efficient, healthy and productive spaces.
Escoffier was a character who marked a milestone in history for his passion for the world of gastronomy. His perfectionism and his dedication to systematizing the structure and rules of the kitchen managed to mark a before and after in the culinary universe. Since then, the clientele had delicious dishes at their table, well presented, aseptic and at a good temperature.
The kitchen before Escoffier
The image of restaurants with their cooks in white uniforms, hygienically preparing meals at their workplace is taken for granted today.
So much so that few dare to eat in a place where the kitchen does not look impeccable. But this idea of restaurant cooking was far removed from reality before the 19th century.
In the days of the monarchy, the lavish banquets were prepared by cooks dressed in any way. They did not wash their hands, drank alcohol, and smoked as a common habit while
LAuguste Escoffier
King of Chefs
Auguste Escoffier, “The Chef of Kings and The King of Chefs,” was born in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, France, on October 28, His career in cookery began at the age of 12 when he entered into apprenticeship in his uncle’s restaurant, in Nice.
Escoffier went on to another apprenticeship at the age of 19, this time working in Paris. Escoffier was the first great chef who worked directly for the public throughout his entire career. Prior to this, the great French chefs were to be found in the kitchens of royalty and nobility, as was Carême, or at work in private clubs, like Alexis Soyer. Escoffier was never in private employ. From his apprenticeship in his uncle’s restaurant in Nice to his collaborations with Cesar Ritz, which marked the height of his career, Escoffier’s talents were in the service of cooking and his customers. Among those customers were kings, heads of state, and many stars of the London and Paris Opera. His career is legendary, in terms of the hotels in which he worked (among them the Savoy and Carlton of London), the contributions that he made to the aesthetics of gastronomy, and, perhaps most importantly, the
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