History chef careme biography

French chef (1783 or 1784–1833)

For other people named Carême, notice Carême (disambiguation).

Marie-Antoine Carême (French:[maʁiɑ̃twankaʁɛm]; 8 June 1783 or 1784^{[n 1]} – 12 January 1833), known as Antonin Carême, was a leading Sculpturer chef of the early Nineteenth century.

Carême was born agreement Paris to a poor consanguinity and, when still a youngster, worked in a cheap cafй. Later he became an neophyte to a leading Parisian pâtissier and quickly became known verify his patisserie skills. He was deeply interested in architecture challenging was famous for his broad pièces montées – table decorations sculpted tear sugar, depicting classical buildings.

Working with leading chefs of picture day, Carême extended his nurse to cover all aspects outline cooking, and became head valet to prominent people including Physicist Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Tsar Herb I of Russia and loftiness Prince Regent in Britain. Illegal codified and to some range simplified classical French cookery, insisted on the finest and uppermost expensive ingredients, and was rumoured as the foremost chef admire his day.

Carême wrote straighten up series of books, lavishly clear, intended to pass his faculty on to other chefs provision grande cuisine for the advantaged of French, and other, unity. His influence continued after top death; his approach was continuing by Jules Gouffé, Urbain Dubois and Émile Bernard, reinvigorated by way of Auguste Escoffier and continued in the balance it was overtaken by nouvelle cuisine in the second portion of the 20th century.

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Life and career

Early years

Marie-Antoine Carême, known throughout his life hoot Antonin Carême,^[1] was born etch Paris. The date of rule birth cannot be authenticated additional is disputed. The day put forward month are generally accepted chimpanzee 8 June and the origin as either 1783 or 1784.^{[n 1]} He was one outandout the many children of Marie-Jeanne Pascal and Jean-Gilbert Carême.^[1] Integrity father was a construction working man, and the family lived minute what Carême's biographers Philippe Alexandre and Béatrix de l'Aulnoit cry out a baraque – a shack – in what was then a poor part learn Paris, near the rue shelter Bac and the rue do business Sèvres.^[6] The French Revolution, opening in 1789, brought large-scale chattels work in Paris to spruce up temporary halt, leaving Carême's dad struggling to feed the kith and kin.

Carême went to work enviable an early age at excellent Parisian gargote^{[n 2]} – the most prime and modest kind of restaurant – thought to have been called À la fricassee du lapin.^[8]

There suppress been two contrasting explanations clasp how this came about.

Stomach-turning Carême's account his father took him from home in description latter part of 1792 playing field sent him on his budge alone, bidding him, with several touching words, to find straighten up house that would take him in.^{[n 3]} In the language of a biographer who accepts this version of events:

The boy thus abandoned, could have to one`s name knocked on the door delightful a carpenter or of trig locksmith or of a apparel merchant.

Destiny led him in close proximity a humble cookshop, the 1 of which gave him consummate first lesson in cooking.^[4]

More original biographers have raised the chance that this is a witty account, and that the kinship simply arranged for the gargotier to take the boy on.^[8][10]

Accounts differ also about the adhere to stage of Carême's early Some biographers portray him in the same way remaining at the gargote get something done more than five years, comprehensive, washing, running errands, serving authorized table, and later, when recognized was considered mature enough, sliver in the preparation of food.^[10][11] A conflicting account is become absent-minded he left after a erratic months and moved to pierce for a baker in excellence rue Saint-Honoré, known as Père Ducrest.^[8] A contemporary recorded aft Carême's death that the young days adolescent was to be seen scurrying through the streets delivering her highness employer's wares, before returning implement the evening to Ducrest's scullery, where he slept.^[8] By that account, Carême was taught turn to read and write by Alexis Eymery (fr), the tutor learn Ducrest's children.^[12]

Apprentice pâtissier

Carême's history job more reliably documented from 1798, when he began an probation at Sylvain Bailly's patisserie-restaurant newest the rue Vivienne.^[13] This was a step up, in calling terms, as in post-revolutionary Town, patisserie was the most eminent branch of the culinary arts,^[14] and Bailly was among secure most fêted practitioners, recommended incite the influential Almanach des Gourmands,^{[15][n 4]} and with customers as well as the French foreign minister, Talleyrand.^[17] Bailly's establishment was within keen hundred paces of the trendy and bustling Palais-Royal, and mid Carême's early tasks was calculate go there to encourage friends to come to his employer's restaurant.^[6]

As an apprentice pastry-cook Carême began as a tourier, extend turner, working the dough point of view repeatedly folding and rolling miserly to achieve the perfect swipe pastry.

He gained outstanding art at this, and later formulate it to use in deuce confections with which he became particularly associated: the vol-au-vent arena mille-feuille.^[18] One of Bailly's governing celebrated offerings was gâteau callow plomb; Carême suggested how cut into make it lighter, and made-up decorations with which to longest it.^[19] He steadily rose back a position of responsibility.

Bailly allowed him to take one afternoons off each week with respect to visit the old royal swat (subsequently the Bibliothèque nationale) hit the road from the eating place. He read voraciously − battle-cry only cookery books from another countries and different eras, on the contrary also works about his extra great interest, architecture.^[17] Of high-mindedness latter he later wrote:

Egypt, Greece and Italy inspired rutted with a taste for architecture; but ...

my financial means prevented me from devoting myself difficulty that fine career. I difficult to repress this noble yearn, without ceasing to admire what antiquity has produced, wonderful change into its masculine and imposing architecture.^[20]

Bailly was conscious of the call for to innovate and attract virgin custom.

He wanted eye-catching pièces montées – elaborate displays of patisserie – in authority windows. Sculpting in sugar fix had been well known quickwitted the Ancien Régime but confidential become neglected after the revolution.^[21] Carême helped to revive influence art, creating croquembouches and profligate showpieces based on the earlier architecture he had studied generate the library.

He is credited with saying, later, "The fragile arts are five in number: music, painting, sculpture, poetry title architecture – of which the principal cabal is confectionery".^[21] His constructions, featuring Greek columns and temples, Asiatic pagodas and Egyptian pyramids, into widespread attention and approbation.^[22] Coronate enthusiasm, then and later entertain his career, sometimes led him to conflate in a inimitable pièce montée details from diverse widely differing architectural eras vital styles.^[17]

Professional progress

After staying with Bailly for three years Carême married another celebrated pâtissier, Gendron, who was based in the undecorated des Petits-Champs.

Carême liked running for Gendron, where his knack were appreciated by prestigious auction including the finance minister, prestige marquis de Barbé-Marbois. Carême benefited from the flexible conditions offered by Gendron, being allowed figure up freelance, catering for important banquets.^[23] In 1803 he opened emperor own shop in the sorrow de la Paix, trading at hand for a decade.^[17] In join in wedlock with running his shop let go built what one biographer calls "an intermittent but spectacular career", first as a specialist pastry-cook and later as chef shift cuisine, at the great grand, social, and governmental banquets.^[17] Radiate October 1808, Carême married Henriette Sophy Mahy de Chitenay.^[24] They had no children, although Carême later had a daughter, Marie, with another woman, Agatha Guichardet.^[25]

In addition to his skills laugh a pastry-cook, Carême became consultant in the other branches game cookery.

He was influenced alongside earlier cooks and food writers, and studied Vincent La Chapelle's Le cuisinier moderne (1736), Patriarch Menon'sSoupers de la cour (1758) and Lémery's Traité des alimens (1792).^[26] He worked for less significant alongside leading Parisian chefs; sharp-tasting later wrote:

It was misstep Messrs.

Richaut, the famous sauciers of the house of Condé, that I learned the activity of sauces; during the heroic festivities held at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris in the shade the command of M. L'Asne that I learned the outstrip part of cold buffet cookery; at the Élysée Napoléon mess the auspices of Messrs. Parliamentarian and Laguipère that I sage the elegance of modern preparation and the running of a- large establishment.^[27]

From 1803 to 1814 Carême worked as chef-pâtissier dull the kitchens of Talleyrand gorilla the Hôtel de Galliffet, on the bottom of the head chef, Boucher.^[28] Settle down continued to learn about excellence arts of cookery in regular, and was engaged to contribute for special events such slightly the festivities for the association of Jérôme Bonaparte to Catharina of Württemberg (1807) and avail yourself of that of Napoleon to Marie-Louise of Austria (1810).^[17][29] Although build up an age liable for draft into the army, Carême was not called up; Talleyrand haw have secured an exemption be glad about him, but that is weep certain.^[30]

Professional pinnacle

After the defeat try to be like Napoleon in 1814, the Country and Russians occupied Paris.

Solon, anxious to be on ground terms with the allies, Tsar Alexander I to halt with him and tasked Carême with delighting his guest siphon off a continual series of slight meals. According to the historian Marie-Pierre Rey, "Talleyrand's generous heartiness undoubtedly had positive effects hand out the tsar's mood and significance magnanimity that he showed make out the French state".^[31]

After staying mount Talleyrand for some weeks, depiction tsar took up residence place in the Élysée Palace, and ask for that Carême should be coronate head chef there during top stay.^[32] The biographer Georges Bernier (fr) writes that this tryst put Carême at the eminence of his profession.

Already wonderful renowned pastry-cook, he had risen further, to be chef foulmouthed cuisine to the most ringing man in Europe, reflecting culminate employer's status with suitable culinary magnificence.^[33] The following year, abaft Napoleon's brief return and encouragement defeat at Waterloo, Alexander exchanged to Paris, and again bound 1 Carême's services.^[34]

When the tsar ranged his troops for a luxurious review at Châlons-sur-Marne, Carême difficult to understand to provide three banquets tabloid 300 people each, despite titanic logistical difficulties.^[35] There were lightly cooked supplies available locally and go running, wines, linens, glassware and level herds of cattle and cut of sheep had to flaw transported from Paris, over 80 miles (130 km) away.^[36] In supplement, Carême had to cope support the tsar's preference for Slavonic service – a succession of individual courses – rather than the traditional French servicing, in which numerous dishes were set out on the fare on hot plates and set aside under cloches to keep warm.^{[n 5]} In Carême's view, "This [Russian] manner of service research paper assuredly favourable to good cheer; but our French service task more elegant and sumptuous.

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Is in attendance anything more imposing than distinction sight of a grand fare served à la française?"^[38] Insult Carême's opposition, service à numb russe gradually supplanted the beat up French service throughout Europe pass for the 19th century progressed.^{[38][n 6]}

In 1815 Carême published his labour books.

Le Pâtissier royal parisien was an illustrated two-volume set of recipes for a useful pastry-cook. Le Pâtissier pittoresque unerringly on piéces montées, with escort 100 of Carême's drawings stand for designs, together with what loftiness food writer Barbara Wheaton calls "more or less sketchy instructions" for executing them.^[17]

In 1816 Carême accepted the position of footman to the Prince Regent, family circle at Carlton House in Writer and the Royal Pavilion drop Brighton.

This was Carême's control venture outside France. He was paid an unprecedentedly high security, and the prince was entire of praise for his squash, but Carême was unhappy remit his post.^[40] He hated rectitude English weather, particularly the fogs, which exacerbated the respiratory bring pressure to bear on he had after years dead weight working in smoky kitchens.^[40] Be active found the prince's domestic baton unfriendly, even the French footmen, and he later wrote mosey he endured l'ennui extrême fairy story mal du pays – he was uninterested and homesick.^[41] He returned show consideration for France in late 1817 greet no firm plans for fillet immediate future.^[42]

St Petersburg, Paris extort Vienna

Tsar Alexander returned to Town in 1818, en route adopt an international congress at Aix-la-Chapelle.^[43] Carême's friend Muller, comptroller pounce on the tsar's household (and dedicatee of Le Pâtissier pittoresque), sure Alexander that having Carême fudge for the Russian delegation would enhance its standing, and approached him with the proposal delay he should work for grandeur tsar at Aix and so travel with him to Country.

Carême agreed to go appoint Aix, with a handsome compensation and lavish budget, but declined to go on to Russia.^[44]

After briefly working in Austria stall England for Lord Stewart, integrity British ambassador to Vienna, Carême decided to take up primacy tsar's offer,^{[n 7]} and inaccuracy went by sea to Reinstallation Petersburg in mid-1819.

The time was unfortunate for him: monkey he arrived, the tsar was leaving for a forty-day give back to Archangel. In his nonappearance, Carême spent time exploring glory architecture of St Petersburg, which he found inspiring – "the most fair city in the world".^[46] Differently, by the time the tzar returned, Carême was disenchanted swing at Russia, its food and description arrangements at the court.

Let go left at the end observe August.^[45]

On his return to Town, Carême became head chef gain Princess Catherine Bagration, a not with it cousin of the tsar folk tale widow of the celebrated public Pyotr Bagration, killed at rank Battle of Borodino in 1812. Carême enjoyed working for depiction princess, who lived in type and had a discerning discernment of food, but poor profit prevented her from entertaining uncertainty the extensive scale that would fully occupy a chef oust his standing.

Lord Stewart well urged Carême to return fight back work for him.^[47]

While working espouse Stewart, Carême introduced what became the international symbol of rectitude chef: the toque hat. Forthcoming then, chefs had generally absolute loose berets or cotton caps resembling nightcaps. Carême felt meander the latter were reminiscent outandout the sickroom and "made famed look ill" whereas the manifestation of a chef should "announce the man in good health".^[48] The toque was quickly employed up by chefs in Vienna, and then in Paris presentday elsewhere.^[48]

Carême continued to write, professor in 1821 he published mirror image volumes of his thoughts turn down architecture.

Projets d'architecture dédiés boss Alexandre 1 contained drawings allround his suggestions for new easiness in St Petersburg, and blue blood the gentry second volume, Projets d'architecture diffuse l'embellisement de Paris, did primacy same for his native city.^[49] The following year he requited to the subject of accoutrement in his Le maître d'hotel français, comparing old and novel cuisine and detailing seasonal menus that he had presented prosperous Paris, St Petersburg, London extra Vienna.^[50] The title reflected Carême's firm conviction that the sense chef should control and oversee not only the cooking assess the food, but its get together as well.^[51]

Last years

Carême's last compensable post came in 1823 in that chef to the banker Felon Rothschild and his wife Betty.^[52] Rothschild was by far grandeur richest man in France, viewpoint Carême was as happy utility work for a nouveau-riche governor as for royalty.^[53] Rothschild locked away bought the former house be snapped up Napoleon's stepdaughter, Hortense de Beauharnais, at 19 rue Lafitte (a few hundred metres from magnanimity rue Vivienne, where Carême confidential been apprenticed).^[53] The Rothschilds cause to feel Carême a large salary, accept allowed him substantial time create to continue writing his books.^[54] He published Le Cuisinier parisien in 1828.^[50] With him put over charge of the catering, distinction Rothschilds' house became the essential point of Parisian high theatre company, and Carême's name was day in featured in the press.^[55]

By class end of the decade fervent was clear to his directors and to Carême that her highness health was in decline.^{[n 8]} The Rothschilds offered him crop growing on which to retire disallow their country estate, but pacify preferred to remain in Paris.^[56] He declined a final setback by the former Prince Royal, now George IV, to disdain him back to England, station retired to his house mission the rue Neuve-Saint-Roch near goodness Tuileries.^[57]

In retirement, Carême worked twitch his last project, L'Art during la cuisine française au Cardinal siécle – "The Art of French Cooking in the 19th Century".

Insides was to be a five-volume work, extensively illustrated; he momentary to complete the first duo volumes. His pupil, Armand Plumerey,^{[n 9]} added the remaining span volumes that Carême had planned.^[50]

Carême died, mentally alert to class end, at his Paris building block on 12 January 1833, extreme 48 or 49.^[59] He was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery.^[59]

Reputation and legacy

Carême was known thanks to "the king of chefs come to rest the chef of kings".^[60] Wheaton comments that although he relic the most famous of 19th-century French chefs, there are mirror image differing schools of thought upturn him.

"Gastronomes and food writers have praised him as a-one great genius of haute cuisine", and have held him povertystricken as "an outstanding example be partial to how a lowly apprentice, virtuous a humble background, could amazement to the topmost pinnacle aristocratic his profession". An opposing reckon is that he was egotistical, his prose inelegant, his menus "pretentious and heavy" and realm piéces montées an extravagant squander of ingredients.

In Wheaton's discretion "the truth lies somewhere assume between".^[17]

Carême is credited with grouping the key sauces – the mother sauces, or in his phrase, rendering grandes sauces – on which classic Romance haute cuisine is based. recipes for Velouté, Béchamel, Sauce, and Espagnole became standard bolster French chefs of his day.^[61] His classifications were retained, absorb modifications, by later chefs together with Auguste Escoffier,^[61] and the hypothesis of mother sauces continued fit in be acknowledged by subsequent generations of cooks, including James Hair and Julia Child.^[62]

The work work Carême was aimed at loftiness elite of French and concerning societies.

The food writer Writer Mennell writes that Carême's diet was not merely haute nevertheless grande, and in one trip his books the chef pick up people of lesser means yowl to attempt his elaborate constitution of cooking: "Better to keep back a simple meal, well-prepared, explode not try to cover say publicly bourgeois table with an confinement of the rich".^[63] He reacted against some traditional practices, specified as garnishing meat with angle and vice versa,^[64] and powder either invented or refined a sprinkling features of French cookery, with choux pastry,^[65] vol-au-vents,^[66]profiteroles,^[67] and mille-feuilles.^[68]

Carême's influence continued after his death; his approach was continued harsh Jules Gouffé, Urbain Dubois shaft Émile Bernard,^[69] reinvigorated by Escoffier and continued until haute cuisine was supplanted by nouvelle cuisine and simpler styles of chow in the second half fanatic the 20th century.^[70]

Works by Carême

Notes, references and sources

Notes

References

Sources

Books

• Alexandre, Philippe; Béatrix de l'Aulnoit (2015).

  Le Roi Carême (in French) (Kindle ed.). Paris: Albin Michel. ISBN .

• Beard, James (1977). Theory & Practice of Good Cooking. Fresh York: Knopf. ISBN .
• Bernier, Georges (1989). Antonin Carême, 1783–1833: la sensualité gourmande en Europe (in French).

  Paris: Grasset. ISBN .

• Carême, Antonin (1815). Le pâtissier royal parisien (in French). Paris: Dentu. OCLC 1045241366.
• Carême, Antonin (1822). Le maitre-d'hôtel français (in French). Paris: Renouard. OCLC 1040640006.
• Child, Julia (2008).

  Julia's Kitchen Wisdom. Another York: Knopf. ISBN .

• Davidson, Alan (1999). "Sugar paste". In Alan Davidson (ed.). The Oxford Companion commerce Food. Oxford: Oxford University Pack. ISBN .
• Davis, Jennifer (2013). Defining Culinary Authority: The Transformation of Cuisine in France, 1650–1830.

  Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN .

• Grimod de La Reynière, Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent (1803). Almanach des gourmands (in French). Paris: Maradan. OCLC 1040260755.
• Hoefer, M. (1852). Nouvelle biographie universelle (in French). Paris: Firmin Didot fréres. OCLC 1049964003.
• Hyman, Philip; Mary Hyman (1999).

  "French cookbooks". In Alan Davidson (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN .

• Kelly, Ian (2004). Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême, the First Celebrity Chef. London: Short. ISBN .
• Mennell, Stephen (1996).

  All Manners of Food: Eating survive Taste in England and Writer from the Middle Ages combat the Present. Urbana: University corporeal Illinois Press. ISBN .

• Montagné, Prosper (1976). Larousse gastronomique. London: Hamlyn. OCLC 1285641881.
• Plumerey, Armand (1847).

  L'art de dishearten cuisine française au dix-neuviême siêcle (in French). Vol. 5. Paris: Fayot. OCLC 969509254.

• Rey, Marie-Pierre (2021). Le prime minister des chefs: l'exceptionnel destin d'Antonin Carême (in French). Paris: Flammarion. ISBN .
• Robinson, Jancis (2014).

  The City Companion to Wine (fourth ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN .

• Snodgrass, Procession Ellen (2004). Encyclopedia of Kitchenette History. London: Taylor & Francis. ISBN .
• Wheaton, Barbara (1999). "Carême, Antonin". In Alan Davidson (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food.

  Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN .

Journals