Georges Auguste Escoffier
October, 28 1846 –
February, 12 1935
No other figure in history has done more to raise
the stature of cooking.
Escoffier, was a French chef, restaurateur and
culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods.
He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmets, and was one of the most
important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine.
Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of
Marie-Antoine Carême, one of the codifiers of French haute cuisine, but
Escoffier's achievement was to simplify and modernize 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" —though this had also been
previously said of Carême), Escoffier was France's preeminent chef in the early
part of the 20th century.
Alongside the recipes he recorded and invented,
another of Escoffier's contributions to cooking was to elevate it to the status
of a respected profession by introducing organized discipline to his kitchens.
Escoffier published Le Guide Culinaire, which is
still used as 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 died on February 12, 1935, at the age of
88, in Monte Carlo, a few days after the death of his wife.
Chef Emeritus
No comments:
Post a Comment