Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême, the First Celebrity Chef

by Ian Kelly

"Cuisinier, architect, and one of the most prolific writers of the 19th century, Carême was the founder of a classic cuisine that would influence generations of chefs. In this well-researched book, Ian Kelly deftly recounts the exploits of this remarkable man." —JACQUES PÉPIN

Aunique feast of biography and Regency cookbook, Cooking for Kings takes readers on a chef's tour of the palaces of Europe in the ultimate age of culinary indulgence.

Drawing on the legendary cook's rich memoirs, Ian Kelly traces Antonin Carême's meteoric rise from Paris orphan to international celebrity and provides a dramatic below-stairs perspective on one of the most momentous, and sensuous, periods in European history—First Empire Paris, Georgian England, and the Russia of War and Peace.

Carême had an unfailing ability to cook for the right people in the right place at the right time. He knew the favorite dishes of King George IV, the Rothschilds and the Romanovs; he knew Napoleon's fast-food requirements, and why Empress Josephine suffered halitosis.

Carême's recipes still grace the tables of restaurants the world over. Now classics of French cuisine, created for, and named after, the kings and queens for whom he worked, they are featured throughout this captivating biography. In the phrase first coined by Carême, "You can try them yourself."

Genres: Biography, Food, History, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food Writing, Culinary

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2003

About the author

Ian Kelly is a multi-award-nominated actor, writer and presenter of TV documentaries. He is the Sunday Times Biographer of the Year 2008-9 (Casanova). He is currently filming the last of the Harry Potter films as Hermione's father, he transfers in the National Theatre's production of The Pitmen Painters to Broadway in 2010.

Reviews

[Antigone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Legend has it that, in the autumn of 1792, ten-year-old Antonin Careme, the sixteenth child of very poor parents, was taken by his father to the Maine gate of Paris and left with these words: "Nowadays you need only the spirit to make a fortune...and you have that spirit. Va petit! - With what God has given you." Perhaps true, perhaps not, yet what is certain is that Antonin began to work as a chef's apprentice at an exceedingly tender age.

Ambitious and astute even then, he realized that dishing out chops and bouillon was not how fortunes were made. Reputation, he soon saw, was acquired in the realm of extravagant confections and pastries. This was where, with growing fame, would come riches tumbling into the bank account. And so he began to study. Long hours were spent in libraries, pouring over picture books filled with design, pattern and proportion. His creative aesthetic lured him toward architecture and soon enough he began to incorporate a structural motif in his creations. Castles, temples, pyramids of marzipan and spun sugar, brandied fruits and butter-flaked dough started to appear in his repertoire. A star was in the process of being born.

And it's safe to say no star was born in Paris in those days without coming to the swift and discreet attention of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord - or simply "Talleyrand" to those of us who know him as Napoleon Bonaparte's foreign minister and closest political advisor. Equal parts gourmand and social strategist, the Prince of Benevent laid a very fine table. Many a banquet was thrown purely for the tactical opportunity it provided. In fact, so religiously did this former priest adhere to his faith in culinary manipulation that, when asked what he needed to secure French rights at the 1814 Congress of Vienna, he laconically replied: "More casseroles." It was only natural that this youthful prodigy be folded under the falcon's wing.

Food was always central to Talleyrand's entertaining. In honour of Josephine's birthday, before she was Empress, he threw a dinner where only the ladies were seated. Their consorts, including the diminutive First Consul, stood behind the ladies and served. Years later, from his exile on Saint Helena, Napoleon would remember that night as one that had [stood out as] the 'high-water mark' of Directoire refinement. In fact, Napoleon himself was bored by food. If a meal lasted for more than 20 minutes he was heard to remark: 'Ah, power is beginning to corrupt.'...

Josephine, it seems, threw as few grand dinners as was humanly possible due to the sad condition of her teeth and her aversion to drawing attention to them. So it was, while Careme made the rounds to the various exclusive chateaus of the Napoleonic era (Borghese, Murat, Lavalette), his employment by the Emperor was limited to the reception for his wedding to second wife Marie-Louise and the baptismal festivities for their son. This, and Talleyrand's willingness to use his personal chef as political coin, allowed Antonin the latitude he required to build the reputation his ambition demanded. He became a great favorite of the Tsar Alexander, the Bourbon King Louis XVIII, the British Regent, George, Prince of Wales, and eventually took to work in the kitchen of the richest French household of his day, the Chateau Rothschild.

Ian Kelly's book, in hardcover, is as elaborate in construction as one of his subject's vaunted marzipan creations. The paper is thick, the print elegant, the format filled with trim and tassel. There are some beautiful portraits reproduced in these pages, along with paintings of the pertinent chateaus and establishments. Much attention was paid to this rather small volume, and it is a visual treat. Literarily, however, it's fluff. The author attempted to straddle all fields (history, biography, gastronomy, gossip) and as a result did justice to none. Those with an interest in Antonin Careme could find a better biography. As an artifact of the era, though, this might be worth a look.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born into a poor family, Careme was abandoned and taken in by a cook, which event gave him his taste for his future career. And what a career. It began at an early age and he quickly became so well known that he prepared Napoleon's wedding feast, when he first encountered the nouveau riche, and went on to service such as Talleyrand, who remained a close friend all his life, the Prince Regent, the Tsar of Russia and the Rothschilds.

Inhaling charcoal fumes from his cooking eventually killed him but not before he had left his legacy in a number of sumptuous books on his art. 'Cooking for Kings' is interspersed with recipes (that would not, I imagine, lend themselves to today's market) and menus that are gargantuan in their make-up, so much so that Lady Edgcumbe was once prompted to write of one of his banquets, 'It seemed more like a tale in the Arabian Nights than an occurence in real life.'

A delightful, tasty read!

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marie Antoine (Antonin) Carême was abandoned on the streets of Paris in the throes of the Terror. He started working for a pastry chef, and by the time he was a teenager was creating magnificent, imaginative pastry creations suitable for display. He became chef to Talleyrand, a gourmand who entertained ambassadors and royalty on behalf of the Napoleonic government. From there, Carême leapt from the kitchens of one court to the next, from the Romonovs to George IV to Vienna. His meticulous care and innovative recipes made him incredibly sought after, particularly after he wrote his name-dropping first book, Le Pâtissier royal parisien. Carême worked in a number of fraught diplomatic situations, and his food eased the way for peace between Russia and France, and the Rothschilds' entrance into high society. He worked absurdly hard, personally doing much of back-breaking, hand-scalding labor that went into high dining, and slept little. He died at the height of his fame, aged only 48, probably due to chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. Carême left behind nine books (not all of them about food--he was also passionate about architecture), a daughter, and hundreds of recipes. His terms and tests of sugar are still used. He was also the man responsible for popularizing service a la russe (where individual plates are brought to each diner at each course, instead of everyone serving from communal dishes), the tomato, vol-au-vents and countless other recipes that are enjoyed to this day.

Kelly is enthused about his subject, and the research he's done into Carême seems far ranging and impeccable. He includes numerous recipes translated into English, with a few notes on how to substitute modern ingredients in for things like isinglass or Maraschino liquor. The recipes also come with little summaries of when and where each recipe was originally concocted or served, along with some historical context. And to add to these riches, there are a number of full-color photos and even some of Carême's own illustrations of his creations. The only minor problem I had with this book was that once in a while Kelly indulged in speculation phrased as certainty, as when he prosed on about Carême's daughter Marie's feelings about her father. We have very little information about her, not even what happened to her after Carême's death, and yet Kelly seems sure that he knows how she felt. Doubtful! But overall, informative and enjoyable. And if you're interested in making historically accurate Regency food, this book will definitely help!

[Beth Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book! I hadn't heard of Antonin Carême before, but I sure recognized his influence--he created the chef's hat, the vol-au-vent, the souffle, and in his prolific writings, codified French cooking from caramel-making to eel pies. This biography works with limited material and tells a story that is never dry, but fascinating throughout. Carême was born poor, abandoned during the Terror, and taken in by a cook, and rose in stature to be the personal chef of royalty and well-to-do across Europe.

I geek out over historical details. This delves into everything from steampunk-style kitchen innovations of the early 19th century to the tragic way that decades of coal-cooking killed Carême and other cooks of his time. A period recipe caps off every chapter, and the end continues a broader collection of recipes of various sorts. I'm not adventuresome enough to try them, as much as I love baking, but I do love reading them.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The real story of the greatest chef of the Napoleonic era isn't much of a story. Though Antonin Careme published many volumes on cuisine, only the high points of his life are known, so this short book is mostly involved with the historical background of Careme's time. You get brief sketches of Careme's first major employer, the statesman Tallyrand, George IV of England, Alexander I of Russia, the Rothchilds, and various Bonapartes. At times the author tries to elevate Careme through his assocation with these starry notables and the way they courted Careme's talent, but I felt that just as often their power dwarfs Careme's celebrity.

The merits of this book are that it is short, very beautifully designed, and full of historical tidbits. For instance, the practice of serving on individual plates was known as service a la russe and was popularized by Careme in France, where service a la Francese--sort of like family style today--was popular. The recipes are fascinating in that they show how far food has evolved. The typical soup recipe calls for boiling meat and vegetables for half a day and then passing it through a sieve. This is a nice book to have on your shelf, just don't take it into the kitchen!

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μια βιογραφία φτιαγμένη από ίσες δόσεις ιστορίας, ψυχολογίας, γαστρονομίας και αγάπης για έναν άνθρωπο που άλλαξε τον τρόπο που τρώμε, οριστικά και αμετάκλητα.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend sent this to me because she had a spare copy from using it as a textbook in a world or european history class. For a textbook, this is a great read. Careme had an interesting life and travelled widely for a poor kid from Paris. He was ambitious and gifted, successful both as a chef and an author, and incredibly influential on French cooking. The included recipes are very interesting, if not necessarily appealing to make. The writing, however, is dry and list-like, so I put the book down for a few months in the middle of reading it.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best historical food books I've read. Antonin Careme had a close connection to so many events that shaped the world during his time. He was one of the first chefs by our modern day definition and we may never see such elaborate feasts the likes of which he created... unless there is yet another made for t.v. Kardashian wedding.

the book is also filled with recipes that give you a glimpse into the past... you can literally cook the foods enjoyed by kings, queens, and dictators the way Careme prepared them himself.

[Ann Mah · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a sketch than a biography. But I loved seeing 18th- and 19th-century France through the veneer of high-end cuisine.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooking For Kings by Ian Kelly is a surprising read. In it the author concocts a dish with recipes, biography, history and not a little of imagination to produce a wholly satisfying, edifying and informative dish. One could read many factual and historical accounts of the period and fail to grasp a feel of this time, a feel that this book communicates successfully throughout. But we are, of course, only inhabiting a particularly rarefied sector of that society.

The biography on the plate is that of Anthony and Karim, the first celebrity chef, Ian Kelly claims. He was born in Paris in 1783 and died there in 1833. In between, he cooked extensively for the great and the good, well at least the rich and the powerful, thereby greatly increasing his fame and personal wealth. It was, however, an activity that happened in smoky kitchens and his body duly suffered.

The recipes in this complex mix are Careme’s own, copied from the many cookbooks he wrote as a way of cashing in on his fame. On the face of it, they were all dishes he had himself cooked, had invented or supervised. They rarely would be suitable for the for a twenty-first century television dinner and most people reading this book will do more than merely marvel at the text, rather than rush to the kitchen. Rarely, I think, will they make one of the dishes and, as will become quite obvious, ingredients have changed substantially over the last two hundred years and a modern cook would have to travel quite a distance to source even some of the principal dishes. But cooking has remained much the same, and is about complementing, contrasting, mixing, combining, heating, cooling and preserving. Some of these techniques, it has to be said, are notably labour-intensive and it was rarely the chef, himself, who put in the graft.

And that is where the history comes in. Though never academic or didactic, Ian Kelly’s text paints a picture of the social history of the period. Now given that the life of Careme spans the ancien régime, the revolution, the Napoleonic empire, the restitution of the monarchy and beyond, it will be obvious that this presentation of social history is cursory at best. But it is vivid and informative.

Take for instance the idea that before the French revolution, there were no restaurants as we know them in Paris. Or perhaps anywhere… There were eating-houses, offering soup and probably bread as well where an empty stomach could be filled. But they weren’t really enough urban middle class people with a desire to dine out of the family home to sustain businesses. Anyone with sufficient funds would anyway employee staff to work at home. A night out in a restaurant would necessitate giving the staff a day off and that, simply, was not done.

The list of Careme’s employers reads like a political history. French politician and professional survivor, Talleyrand, Napoleon, Russian royals, King George IV, Baron Rothschild the banker and others all employed the man to concoct for their delectation. He thus rubbed stomachs with the rich and powerful.

Ian Kelly lists some of the menus, which often run to scores of dishes. It was an era when food waste was not an issue. And that was perhaps because there wasn’t any, since the kitchen staff often sold any leftovers having first fed themselves, no doubt. The imagination in Ian Kelly’s book centres surprisingly around the biographical facts of Careme’s life. He wrote a lot of recipes, but not much else. His family relations were complicated, and he really referred to his daughter, who seemed to begrudge what he left her, or perhaps what he had never given to her.

There’s a lot more in cooking for kings than cooking or Kings. It will be a profitable read for many and diverse interests.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Mario, Emeril, or Bobby Flay, Antonin Careme was the "must have" chef for European Royalty and High Society. Napolean, Nordic Princes and Tsar's all vied for his services. A very interesting read, providing insight to some of history's movers and shakers. In a time before refrigeration (or, electricity!) it is awe inspiring, to say the least, to read the astronomical amount of work that was involved in creating these meals, both elegant and ordinary.
You'll never take your oven or mixer for granted again!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While interesting, the interest stems mostly from the subject matter. After all, Careme was "the" progenitor of the chef as public persona and the first to truly codify the basics of French cooking. Reading about his rags to riches, or abandoned street urchin to celebrity life is, at the least, educational. That aside, the book itself suffers from stilted writing, it's a bit tedious, and in the end, a bit of a bore. There's almost a sense that the writer wants to prove his own importance simply based on his choice of subject material.

[Alleyne Dickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooking for Kings is an excellent look at the world's first celebrity chef. A must for all gastronomes. It also illustrates a different side of the "regency" period that isn't generally known. Well written, if a little slow, the book is itself a masterpiece of the publishing art. Beautiful typeface, smooth paper and wonderful illustrations. And the recipes!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic little book! I'm a fan of cook books and history of cooking--and I love it when I find a book that combines both. Basically a biography of the great chef Antonin Careme, the book is scattered with recipes he wrote as well as illustrations of some of his pastry masterpieces. If you're looking for an interesting but lighter fare, try this one out.

[Jenny Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book,amazing character and learnt a lot about the history and period of that time. The recipes are great fun too and an insight into how people ate in that period

[Igbal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of Careme attracted me because he witnessed many historical events, met and served influential personalities and organized high-class feasts that shaped the world and western cuisine. The book was a wonderful experience to walk around Paris, with a poor and abandoned boy, who will introduce you to the kitchen of diplomats and French aristocrats. Although it was obvious that Careme lived very alluring life, the biography lacked to illustrate it properly. Several historical details about Empress Josephine, minister Talleyrand or Napoleon himself, adorned to make the book more readable and exciting.

[Boulder Boulderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lent to me by a friend, as a random shot across the bows of something I might not read of my own accord. An interesting short history of a man who could be described as the world's first celebrity chef. Considerable details of the great man's life and work, and interesting details of his clients, it nonetheless pre-supposes some considerable knowledge of the period.

Ends with a lot of recipes for the reader to try at home - I'm sad to say that I didn't try any, but some, I have to say, looked much more delicious than others.

[Tarah Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting character and concept, but poorly executed in both writing and editing, as well as in fact checking. I found many historical errors, especially when dealing with Bonaparte and Josephine (no surprise there, given that is my life’s passion). What really saved this book were the period recipes that Kelly included from Carême, though the recipe appendix addition of Carême’s weights and measures was lacking an explanation of the size of glasses and plates used in the recipes. A timeline may have been useful for those tracking where Carême was in each year.

[Liezel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer fiction, but I could not resist a biography of the very first celebrity chef that changed and established the cooking fundamentals we follow today. A fantastic insight in how food culture and society changed after the French Revolution and gave birth to the Parisian culture that is so famous and sought after. A combination of history, art, culture and a little dash of scandal. Loved it!

[Mandi Fast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicious! I read this because I recently watched the series Carême on AppleTV (obsessed) and I needed to know more about the chef. LOVE the history, drama, and recipes included in the book. Really good!!!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and flavorful!
This synopsis of Cooking for Kings is captivating, I can’t wait to dive in! The mix of history, biography, and legendary recipes promises a rich and entertaining journey through Regency Europe. It already sounds like a feast for both the mind and the senses.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating - the invention of an efficient kitchen and the professional chef. "... when emperors, kings, and princes wielded Careme's gastronomy as a diplomatic tool."

[Anita Dormer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book
History of the art of preparing food with the first chefs recipes included

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book of the original celebrity chef

[Melvin Lemus · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Daniel Polansky]

The title pretty much sums it up. It was quick and reasonably engaging.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting peek into life during a true food revolution. As a modern-day foodie, I enjoyed reading about the life and lasting impact of Marie-Antoine (Antonin) Careme. In this modern age where an appliance exists for every task and dining conventions are taken for granted, many of the cooking innovations of the early 1800's were rather surprising.

The biography was written in a straightforward manner and I rather enjoyed the food-related quotations at the beginning of each chapter. I do wish we had gotten a better emotional sense for Careme, but it seems clear that he didn't leave much for historians to go on. The only real difficulties I encountered in reading this book were in navigating the abundant use of French (I have a shameful lack of knowledge of even the most common phrases) and the numerous names of historical figures with whom Careme interacted during his career. I have never had a mind for names and dates, and if I hadn't recently been doing some other reading set in nearly the same time period, I would quickly have been lost in the sea of names. If you are a weak student of History such as myself, do yourself a favour and brush up on the major players following the French Revolution before diving into this delicious biography.

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy cannoli was this a bad book. In all honesty, I couldn't finish it, but I read enough to permit myself to list it here.

I guess it is interesting in the sense that it shows what results when someone who is obviously not much of a researcher nor historian writes about a historical figure who has left only a minimal paper trail.

You could open this book practically at random and find something laughable. For instance, Chapter 6 begins, "Betsy Patterson of Baltimore had hopes of ending 1807 as a princess of the French Empire." Please note that this sentence is the one and only mention of Betsy Patterson in the entire book. From this opening sentence, we are treated to a discussion of Napoleon's brother's wedding, followed by a digression on Careme's own wedding, followed by a digression on Careme's wife's remarriage, followed by a discussion of Napoleon's second wedding to Marie Louise Hapsburg.

And what, exactly, does any of this have to do with poor Betsy Patterson?? NOTHING!

The only noteworthy thing about this book is that all the discussions of pounded butter, pounded sugar, and forcemeat REALLY make you appreciate your food processor.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography argues that Carême, a French chef in the first half of the 19th century, invented modern haute cuisine. It describes in great detail some of the aristocratic feasts he prepared. Carême kept detailed records and wrote several books; many of his recipes are featured throughout the book. If you want to try them, it will take some translation, since the units of measure he uses are different from modern ones. Also, make sure you have access to a food processor! There are some drawings of his sculptural desserts (he began his career as a patissier), over-the-top buffets, and some of the kitchens he worked in. The book has lots of fascinating details about the conditions in which chefs and cooks worked in that era. (Carême is thought to have died from cumulative exposure to coal fumes.) There's some history scattered through the book because Carême worked for a lot of historical figures of the period, including Talleyrand and Napoleon, but it's not a good source for piecing together a timeline of what went on.

[Newport Librarians · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Antonin Careme, chefs wore slouchy workers' hats and any old color of clothing they wished. But as the first celebrity chef, whose work included designing centerpieces for Napoleon's nuptials and cooking for the Prince Regent (later King George IV of England), Careme insisted on the importance of hygiene in professional kitchens. White clothes were his way of signifying the seriousness with which cooks should take cleanliness; and those high chefs' hats (toques) were his way of displaying the chef's importance in aristocratic households. The life of Antonin Careme spanned the French Revolution, Napoleon's tumultuous career, the Regency period, and the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. He lived, cooked, and wrote in France, England, and Austria. He rose from the slums of Paris to become one of the most respected gastronomic names of all time. This biography tells the fascinating story of the man who invented or popularized hollandaise sauce, souffles, vol-au-vents, meringues, and many of the hallmarks of fine eating. Great fun--dig in!