Carême: The First Celebrity Chef

by Ian Kelly

In a cook's tour of Regency-Era Europe, Carême combines recipes fit for royalty with the "magnificent" (Anthony Bourdain) life story of Antonin Carême, the first celebrity chef.

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Tracing the fairytale-like rise of Antonin Carême from Parisian orphan to a household name synonymous with culinary luxury, Carême offers a below-stairs perspective on one of the most momentous, and sensuous, periods in European First Empire Paris, Georgian England, and the Russia of War and Peace.

Carême's ability to intuit the tastes of European royalty was an unendingly useful and astounding he knew the favourite dishes of King George IV, the Rothschilds and the Romanovs; he knew Napoleon's fast-food requirements, and why Empress Josephine suffered halitosis.

Blending the incredible aetiology of Carême's stardom and recipes he curated which once graced the dining tables of monarchs of old and remain classics of French cuisine, Ian Kelly offers a window into a sumptuous world of casseroles and kings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 27, 2025

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

[Jay Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book, but the only collection to the Apple TV show is that he was a chef.

[Jordan Bettinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having little knowledge of French nobility and 19th century France made this challenging to follow at times but it was really interesting.

Antonin seemed well beyond his time in culinary skill and creativity.

Reading this inspired me to watch the show too!

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! This biography of one of the first important French chefs was so well done. Carefully researched, well written with humor and just the right amount of detail, and beautifully narrated by the author. It might be easier to read than listen to, though. There are a lot of recipes and menus that are difficult to digest (haha) on audio.

[Kaitlyn (ktxx22) Walker]

Stopped reading this around the 45% point. I figured I would be really invested in this as I am a foodie and enjoy learning about food history, but….. nope this is more lists of food vs linear story telling. I could’ve used less dish by dish meal descriptions and more individual items that the chef was famous for also more personal things on the person the book is about.

[Erin Ballengee · Rating 4 out of 5]

the afterword was nearly as wild as the book itself

[Laurel Becker · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 54%

Maybe if I wasn’t listening to this one, I would like it better?

[Liv Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

“jellied chicken mayonnaise” is the worst trio of words i’ve ever heard in my life

[Anuradha Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alli Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 3.5 rounded up. What a guy! An entertaining read with cool recipes included.