Auguste Escoffier

Auguste Escoffier (born October 28, 1846, Villeneuve-Loubet, France—died February 12, 1935, Monte-Carlo, Monaco) was a French culinary artist, known as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings,” who earned a worldwide reputation as director of the kitchens at the Savoy Hotel (1890–99) and afterward at the Carlton Hotel, both in London. His name is synonymous with classical French cuisine (see grande cuisine).

Escoffier began his career at the age of 12, and, when he retired from the Carlton Hotel at the age of 74, he counted 62 years of active service, a span considered a record in his profession. The name of Escoffier became of worldwide repute when in 1890 he was given the direction of the kitchens of the newly opened Savoy Hotel, and he created the péche Melba (peach Melba) in honour of the famous singer Nellie Melba when she was staying there in 1893. In 1899 he moved to the Carlton Hotel, where he was to build a fabulous reputation for haute cuisine during the next 23 years; on one occasion Emperor William II is reported to have said to Escoffier, “I am the emperor of Germany but you are the emperor of chefs.” In recognition of his services to the prestige of French cooking abroad, he was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1920 and made an officer of the order in 1928.

Besides the renown of his name, said to be greater even than that of Marie-Antoine Carême, Escoffier wrote several books, notably Le Guide culinaire (1903, cowritten with Philéas Gilbert and Émile Fetu; The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery), which listed dishes according to their order of presentation and included the first á la carte menus; Le Livre des menus (1912; “The Book of Menus”); and Ma cuisine (1934; “My Cuisine”). Escoffier also published the monthly magazine Le Carnet d’epicure (“Notebook of a Gourmet”), which ran from 1911 to 1914.

Escoffier radically simplified food service by advocating the use of seasonal ingredients and the abandonment of elaborate garnishes. He also streamlined the organization of professional kitchens. These ideas were widely disseminated through Larousse Gastronomique (1938), a definitive work on classical French cuisine by Escoffier’s friend Prosper Montagné, a noted chef. Escoffier’s memoir, Souvenirs inédits (1985; Memories of My Life), was published posthumously.