What do you think?
Rate this book
Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class
Luke Barr explores the advent of the luxe life through the saga of hotelier Cesar Ritz and chef Auguste Escoffier, whose partnership brought us not only the adjective 'ritzy, ' itself no small testament, but also such once-novel phenomena as hotel rooms with their own bathrooms, and innovative dishes like peach Melba. It's a charming tale of success, scandal, and redemption--complete with an unexpected villain.
311 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
263 people are currently reading
4155 people want to read
About the author
Luke Barr
9 books117 followersLuke Barr is the author of THE SECRET HISTORY OF FRENCH COOKING (March 2026), RITZ & ESCOFFIER, and the New York Times bestseller PROVENCE, 1970. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, architect Yumi Moriwaki, and their two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
June 25, 2018
I loved this book!! If you have a thing for glitz and glam and luxury living, this book is for you. I love how Barr writes! He does not make the narrative boring anywhere along the whole book. While I was aware of Ritz because of the chain of hotels, I had no idea of Escofier, his friend and chef, who was instrumental in his growth.
That's what the book is all about. What a pair Ritz and Escoffier are! Their stint at Savoy hotel and their decision to start out on their own. There are scandals, literary figures and political figures in guest appearances, the development of 'luxury' for the rich and so on. Not to forget the fine food descriptions and recipes that Escoffier develops. Drool worthy!! The writing was fun, amusing and engaging. By the end I wished there was more of a deep character study of Ritz and Escoffier but I also realised I didn't mind it not being there because the book was so good. It was a wonderful and entertaining read.
Disclaimer : Much thanks to Crown Publishing for a copy of the novel. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
That's what the book is all about. What a pair Ritz and Escoffier are! Their stint at Savoy hotel and their decision to start out on their own. There are scandals, literary figures and political figures in guest appearances, the development of 'luxury' for the rich and so on. Not to forget the fine food descriptions and recipes that Escoffier develops. Drool worthy!! The writing was fun, amusing and engaging. By the end I wished there was more of a deep character study of Ritz and Escoffier but I also realised I didn't mind it not being there because the book was so good. It was a wonderful and entertaining read.
Disclaimer : Much thanks to Crown Publishing for a copy of the novel. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
October 19, 2019
4.5 stars.
César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier teamed up in the 1890s, changing the hotel and restaurant industries, first in London at the Savoy Hotel, then in Paris and eventually the world. They brought a new sophistication and sense of luxury in everything they did, from room decor, the treatment of guests and how food is prepared. Under their direction, the Savoy, with its modern electric lights, elevators, en suite bathrooms, and superior restaurant became THE hotel destination in London.
After leaving the Savoy under a cloud of scandal, Ritz and Escoffier opened The Ritz Hotel in Paris, outdoing the Savoy in many ways. They also became involved with the Carlton Hotel in London, again besting the Savoy on it’s own turf. Ritz and Escoffier recognized that there was a wealthy class to be catered to and they set the standard for how to do it. The word “ritzy” eventually became synonymous with style and glamour.
The book is incredibly well written, almost reading like a good novel. The ups and downs of their lives make for a compelling story. Not much back story is given about their lives, the book mainly concentrating on their remarkable collaboration. So much of what we take for granted in the hotel and restaurant industries was developed by these two pioneers. There is a lot of name dropping in terms of who they catered to. There are delectable descriptions of the food Escoffier cooked. And if you can get through this book without the song “Putting on the Ritz” constantly going through your head, well you’re a better person than I am.
I definitely recommend this book. It is a delight to read and wonderfully informative.
César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier teamed up in the 1890s, changing the hotel and restaurant industries, first in London at the Savoy Hotel, then in Paris and eventually the world. They brought a new sophistication and sense of luxury in everything they did, from room decor, the treatment of guests and how food is prepared. Under their direction, the Savoy, with its modern electric lights, elevators, en suite bathrooms, and superior restaurant became THE hotel destination in London.
After leaving the Savoy under a cloud of scandal, Ritz and Escoffier opened The Ritz Hotel in Paris, outdoing the Savoy in many ways. They also became involved with the Carlton Hotel in London, again besting the Savoy on it’s own turf. Ritz and Escoffier recognized that there was a wealthy class to be catered to and they set the standard for how to do it. The word “ritzy” eventually became synonymous with style and glamour.
The book is incredibly well written, almost reading like a good novel. The ups and downs of their lives make for a compelling story. Not much back story is given about their lives, the book mainly concentrating on their remarkable collaboration. So much of what we take for granted in the hotel and restaurant industries was developed by these two pioneers. There is a lot of name dropping in terms of who they catered to. There are delectable descriptions of the food Escoffier cooked. And if you can get through this book without the song “Putting on the Ritz” constantly going through your head, well you’re a better person than I am.
I definitely recommend this book. It is a delight to read and wonderfully informative.
May 8, 2018
Luke Barr, who has written before on high profile chefs, provides a dual biography of Cesar Ritz and August Eschffier, the hotelier and chef who together invented 20th century models for the luxury hotel with the world class restaurant attached to it and serving the most prestigious customers in the world. The book chronicles the rise of the duo from early successes in Europe to their breakout at the Savoy Hotel in London to their move back to Paris to found the Ritz Hotel to their subsequent expansions after 1900. Eventually the world changes (WW1) and time catches up with the pair. Their influence is still around both directly (Ritz-Carlton Hotels; Ritz Crackers) and indirectly (the Home Alone movies; Eloise at the Plaza; even the hotel environment in “A Gentleman in Moscow”). We take the combination of world class hotels and top flight dining as a given and yet Barr shows this is a fairly recent development dating from the last decades of the 19th century.
What did I like about the book? The story about restaurants and hotels is a good one, but it cannot be the key. It cannot just be about the food, especially what we now know and what the scolds never tire of repeating about the health benefits of gourmet eating. Living well took its toll on many of the principals in this book. Mr. Barr provides lots of interesting detail into how all the different aspects of this complex product had to fit together for the overall result to be successful. This took to powerful integrating eye of Cesar Ritz to balance the impossible set of variables that were of potential interest for discerning and wealthy customers. A good example of this is the discussion of how Ritz decided on the lighting schemes for his Ritz Hotel before it opened in Paris.
The product is indeed a fascinating one, and Mr. Barr’s book provides a lot of nifty detail about how the business works and how Ritz made his choices. Imagine how difficult of a business this must be, given the variety of different customers, the wide range of possible offerings, and the cutthroat competition in which an establishment would get one chance to captivate a customer and would lose them forever if the customer was not enthralled.
Having said that, there was not enough said about the broader business model, including the financing, pricing, and broader supply chain. In a business where key ingredients are sourced globally and stakeholders are numerous and complexly intertwined, how does the business model generate profits for those who are good at it? This is far from obvious. I know that the world of financing and social media and suppliers has moved on to more modern conditions, the basic problem persists. How does one create, price, and sustain an adventure catering to those who literally have money to burn? Mr. Barr provides tantalizing hints of this world in his discussion of the situations that forced Ritz and Escoffier to leave the Savoy and go to Paris. They are only tasty tidbits, however, and more discussion of this would have helped the book. It is no doubt true that personal relationships dominate this sort of business, but the numbers involved in these businesses are no doubt staggering and telling the interpersonal narratives does not get to the heart of how this sort of business worked then or works today.
Having said that, I will note that there are few if any books about high end restaurants that are really satisfying and Mr. Barr’s book is one of the better ones currently on offer.
What did I like about the book? The story about restaurants and hotels is a good one, but it cannot be the key. It cannot just be about the food, especially what we now know and what the scolds never tire of repeating about the health benefits of gourmet eating. Living well took its toll on many of the principals in this book. Mr. Barr provides lots of interesting detail into how all the different aspects of this complex product had to fit together for the overall result to be successful. This took to powerful integrating eye of Cesar Ritz to balance the impossible set of variables that were of potential interest for discerning and wealthy customers. A good example of this is the discussion of how Ritz decided on the lighting schemes for his Ritz Hotel before it opened in Paris.
The product is indeed a fascinating one, and Mr. Barr’s book provides a lot of nifty detail about how the business works and how Ritz made his choices. Imagine how difficult of a business this must be, given the variety of different customers, the wide range of possible offerings, and the cutthroat competition in which an establishment would get one chance to captivate a customer and would lose them forever if the customer was not enthralled.
Having said that, there was not enough said about the broader business model, including the financing, pricing, and broader supply chain. In a business where key ingredients are sourced globally and stakeholders are numerous and complexly intertwined, how does the business model generate profits for those who are good at it? This is far from obvious. I know that the world of financing and social media and suppliers has moved on to more modern conditions, the basic problem persists. How does one create, price, and sustain an adventure catering to those who literally have money to burn? Mr. Barr provides tantalizing hints of this world in his discussion of the situations that forced Ritz and Escoffier to leave the Savoy and go to Paris. They are only tasty tidbits, however, and more discussion of this would have helped the book. It is no doubt true that personal relationships dominate this sort of business, but the numbers involved in these businesses are no doubt staggering and telling the interpersonal narratives does not get to the heart of how this sort of business worked then or works today.
Having said that, I will note that there are few if any books about high end restaurants that are really satisfying and Mr. Barr’s book is one of the better ones currently on offer.
February 4, 2018
I received an ARC of this book through the Amazon Vine program.
Cesar Ritz was already on his way to making a name for himself before Richard D'Oyly Carte convinced him to come to London for a short stay to help get the new Savoy Hotel on its feet. Ritz brought along Auguste Escoffier to take care of the food side of the service. Both men remained much longer than they had expected to and were instrumental in changing the old rules of accommodation and dining for their wealthy patrons. The juggling act of including new money patrons with the aristocratic customers was deftly handled by Ritz. Escoffier began to educate the palates of Englishmen who were more inclined to entertain at home. During these late years in the reign of Queen Victoria the social climate was changing as more and more money was being made through trade, not inheritance. D'Oyly Carte was content to allow Ritz and Escoffier to run the Savoy as they saw fit until the profits began to disappear. Through a combination of bad management and conducting business as it had always been done the men were on a collision course with disaster.
Ritz and Escoffier worked so well together they established the standards for luxury and indulgence in hotels throughout Europe. This book is a look at what went wrong at the Savoy after everything had gone so right. From there Ritz and Escoffier continued to run hotels only now as owners or partners. Their willingness to use modern technology, such as 24 hour electricity throughout the hotel and elevators which worked round the clock, made their properties the destination of choice by those who could afford to stay there.
This book gives readers a look at an important age of social change. Ritz was such a forward thinker he didn't hesitate to break down the old rules of who would be allowed access to the finest luxuries in lodging and food. His efforts were directly responsible for women dining in a public place when unaccompanied by a man. It seems that Ritz was constantly working to loosen the strictures of society in order to make his hotels more financially successful but also to give genuine pleasure and comfort to patrons. Escoffier changed the entire atmosphere of the kitchen and provided an example of how a kitchen could be run to remove the turmoil which had been known to rule there. These are food service standards which are still practiced today. Both men had a proven impact on how the two industries they represented were changing with the times. The hotel and food service industries would never be the same. The information is available in an easy to read narrative but I have to admit to finding the book easy to put down. This book might be of more interest to readers with a special interest in the food and lodging industries.
Cesar Ritz was already on his way to making a name for himself before Richard D'Oyly Carte convinced him to come to London for a short stay to help get the new Savoy Hotel on its feet. Ritz brought along Auguste Escoffier to take care of the food side of the service. Both men remained much longer than they had expected to and were instrumental in changing the old rules of accommodation and dining for their wealthy patrons. The juggling act of including new money patrons with the aristocratic customers was deftly handled by Ritz. Escoffier began to educate the palates of Englishmen who were more inclined to entertain at home. During these late years in the reign of Queen Victoria the social climate was changing as more and more money was being made through trade, not inheritance. D'Oyly Carte was content to allow Ritz and Escoffier to run the Savoy as they saw fit until the profits began to disappear. Through a combination of bad management and conducting business as it had always been done the men were on a collision course with disaster.
Ritz and Escoffier worked so well together they established the standards for luxury and indulgence in hotels throughout Europe. This book is a look at what went wrong at the Savoy after everything had gone so right. From there Ritz and Escoffier continued to run hotels only now as owners or partners. Their willingness to use modern technology, such as 24 hour electricity throughout the hotel and elevators which worked round the clock, made their properties the destination of choice by those who could afford to stay there.
This book gives readers a look at an important age of social change. Ritz was such a forward thinker he didn't hesitate to break down the old rules of who would be allowed access to the finest luxuries in lodging and food. His efforts were directly responsible for women dining in a public place when unaccompanied by a man. It seems that Ritz was constantly working to loosen the strictures of society in order to make his hotels more financially successful but also to give genuine pleasure and comfort to patrons. Escoffier changed the entire atmosphere of the kitchen and provided an example of how a kitchen could be run to remove the turmoil which had been known to rule there. These are food service standards which are still practiced today. Both men had a proven impact on how the two industries they represented were changing with the times. The hotel and food service industries would never be the same. The information is available in an easy to read narrative but I have to admit to finding the book easy to put down. This book might be of more interest to readers with a special interest in the food and lodging industries.
June 25, 2018
There is something wonderfully gossipy about Ritz & Escoffier: the hotelier, the chef, and the rise of the leisure class. In tracing the rise of the luxurious Savoy Hotel, under the leadership of César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier, Luke Barr grants readers a glimpse into some of the biggest scandals of the Belle Époque, letting us get up close and personal with the celebrities involved. Barr also provides luscious descriptions of extravagant parties held at the hotel. These parties are filled with glitterati living the highlife. But they are also rife with consequences for the people working to make them happen. Take for example, the time that the Duc D’Orleans and the Prince of Wales (who hated each other) both wanted extravagant royal parties held at the Savoy on the same night. Ritz didn’t have the space! Unless he could retrofit a basement at the last minute and turn it from a damp, hot, unused billiard room, into a space fit for a royal wedding reception, while Escoffier produced not one, but two, different epic banquets. What follows is full of drama, fancy dresses, and luscious desserts.
As figures who rocked the world stage at the turn of the century show up at the Savoy you, gentle reader, get to find out if Oscar Wilde was a good tipper. Will Gilbert and Sullivan ever mend their relationship and get back to making opera? Is Sarah Bernhardt okay? This book gives you a slice-of-life view of these celebrated people, through the humanizing lens of Ritz and Escoffier’s lives. And Ritz and Escoffier, for all the drama surrounding them, move through their lives dedicated to their crafts. They do things that no one else ever had, maybe that no one else ever could.
John Rogers, a writer on the television show Leverage, calls the thrill of “watching smart people tackle tasks with freaky aptitude," competency porn. Beyond the gossip and the history, Ritz and Escoffier: the hotelier, the chef, and the rise of the leisure class is excellent competency porn. Both Ritz and Escoffier were masters of their art, and reading about how they performed for the great, the good, and the nouveau riche is deeply satisfying.
Reviewed by Andrea Borchert, Librarian, Science, Technology & Patents Department
As figures who rocked the world stage at the turn of the century show up at the Savoy you, gentle reader, get to find out if Oscar Wilde was a good tipper. Will Gilbert and Sullivan ever mend their relationship and get back to making opera? Is Sarah Bernhardt okay? This book gives you a slice-of-life view of these celebrated people, through the humanizing lens of Ritz and Escoffier’s lives. And Ritz and Escoffier, for all the drama surrounding them, move through their lives dedicated to their crafts. They do things that no one else ever had, maybe that no one else ever could.
John Rogers, a writer on the television show Leverage, calls the thrill of “watching smart people tackle tasks with freaky aptitude," competency porn. Beyond the gossip and the history, Ritz and Escoffier: the hotelier, the chef, and the rise of the leisure class is excellent competency porn. Both Ritz and Escoffier were masters of their art, and reading about how they performed for the great, the good, and the nouveau riche is deeply satisfying.
Reviewed by Andrea Borchert, Librarian, Science, Technology & Patents Department
May 12, 2018
Well researched but the writing was meh. It didn’t draw me in.
January 25, 2021
3.5* - more chatty and gossipy than I was hoping for, less about the food end, and it peters out at the finish, but ultimately the breezy style is why I ate this up in two days. So, I'm knocking it up a star even though it commits what I consider the cardinal sin in history nonfiction and even opens the book doing it: the thing where the narrative gets into the head of a real-life person as if they are a character in a fiction book, when there is no reasonable way the author could know the details so precisely. ("He looked around the compact [train] cabin: it was wood-paneled, with brass coat hooks... The weather was hot, and he was glad to be traveling at night." Were you there, Luke Barr? Were you César Ritz in a past life? Why do authors do this?) It makes it hard to trust the accuracy of the text thereafter, but it's fine, the author is so enormously sympathetic to Escoffier/Ritz in the Savoy scandal that you should know to kick back and take this version of events with a grain of salt anyway.
Very readable and more interesting to me in the front half with the details of the restaurant - most of what I know about the changing face of food in the Victorian era is centered around the home/private entertainment, so I got some useful bits out of here about the public eatery biz and how it too changed in the face of industrialization and the shifting social strata. Some of the actual menus of famous meals are included in here, fussy French names and all. My favorite: a dish Escoffier created, pompously titled Cuisses de Nymphes à l'Aurore ("Thighs of Nymphs at Dawn"). "A cold, poached dish, served with a golden chaud-froid (a cream-based sauce with aspic that set when it was cooled) and presented on elegant platters of ice." Yes, but what was being poached? Frogs! And the frog-averse English diners obviously ate that shit up, because when you make up a fancy French name for something and it's on a table where the Prince of Wales is dining, you can get away with anything. Escoffier was a real one. Respect.
Very readable and more interesting to me in the front half with the details of the restaurant - most of what I know about the changing face of food in the Victorian era is centered around the home/private entertainment, so I got some useful bits out of here about the public eatery biz and how it too changed in the face of industrialization and the shifting social strata. Some of the actual menus of famous meals are included in here, fussy French names and all. My favorite: a dish Escoffier created, pompously titled Cuisses de Nymphes à l'Aurore ("Thighs of Nymphs at Dawn"). "A cold, poached dish, served with a golden chaud-froid (a cream-based sauce with aspic that set when it was cooled) and presented on elegant platters of ice." Yes, but what was being poached? Frogs! And the frog-averse English diners obviously ate that shit up, because when you make up a fancy French name for something and it's on a table where the Prince of Wales is dining, you can get away with anything. Escoffier was a real one. Respect.
May 22, 2018
I enjoyed this book, but it is not for everyone.
The history is interesting, but Escoffiers menus were a little tedious after the second multi course one.
It would make a fun movie, with the "ritzy" hotels and period costumes.
The history is interesting, but Escoffiers menus were a little tedious after the second multi course one.
It would make a fun movie, with the "ritzy" hotels and period costumes.
November 22, 2020
This book was full of interesting facts and stories, but I didn't find it to be very engaging to read. I've read several other non-fiction books where the author brought the story to life. This author's writing didn't do that for me. Honestly I was pretty disappointed.
April 14, 2018
This gives a very good sense of what it was like then for people with money and/or fame. He shows how Ritz stage managed a change from a world where women did not eat in restaurants to a world where anyone who could afford to ate in restaurants. And perhaps most significantly, a world where hotel rooms did not have bathrooms to a world where they did. 😉
January 22, 2019
A highly readable and entertaining book about Ritz and Escoffier, two figures who revolutionised luxury and pleasure, perhaps most notably in changing who should get to experience it. Throughout the book, Barr gives us compelling insights into the minds of the characters and threads together unfolding stories with a strong grasp of pace and detail. As someone interested in food, I particularly enjoyed reading about Escoffier's approach to cooking and eating, especially as his name is still so revered in the field of cooking today.
January 12, 2018
***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***
I don't know y'all...I just couldn't get into this book. It was fine, I guess, but not more than that. I did learn things that were fascinating, but I wish there had been more. I feel like the author started in the middle of the story and glossed over large swathes of Ritz and Escoffier's lives. It felt rushed. All in all, it's a great topic but a mediocre book.
I don't know y'all...I just couldn't get into this book. It was fine, I guess, but not more than that. I did learn things that were fascinating, but I wish there had been more. I feel like the author started in the middle of the story and glossed over large swathes of Ritz and Escoffier's lives. It felt rushed. All in all, it's a great topic but a mediocre book.
December 25, 2018
Hotelier Ritz and chef Escoffier take the fusty old hotel business and shake it up...by the power of amenities and poached peaches!
This was a fun, short, fast read about the transformation of the London hotel business (centering on the Savoy) from the old world to one we can recognize today: calculated luxury. Recommend as a light nonfiction read for the late Victorian period.
This was a fun, short, fast read about the transformation of the London hotel business (centering on the Savoy) from the old world to one we can recognize today: calculated luxury. Recommend as a light nonfiction read for the late Victorian period.
January 10, 2018
This book provides an interesting look at the lives of hotelier César Ritz and chef Auguste Escoffier. Both left "the continent" to tackle the jobs of establishing a grand hotel with a grand restaurant in London. At that time in England, fine entertainment was usually done only in private homes and gentlemen's clubs, which of course excluded a lot of people. Also, it was debatable if the food served during such exclusive gathering could even qualify as "fine dining". The British were not seen as being very adventurous with their cooking by others in Europe, particularly those in France.
Messieurs Ritz and Escoffier would go on to change the hotel and dining worlds in England, opening the doors for the acceptable presence of the nouveau riche, Americans, Jews, women unescorted by men, etc. César Ritz was also involved at the same time in other hotels throughout Europe. What he accomplished in a 24-hour day was astounding, but all that never-ending work had a steep price. While I did not find this book by Luke Barr fascinating, it was still interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, and now I know all that was behind the 1920s slang term "to put on the Ritz".
(Note: I received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.)
Messieurs Ritz and Escoffier would go on to change the hotel and dining worlds in England, opening the doors for the acceptable presence of the nouveau riche, Americans, Jews, women unescorted by men, etc. César Ritz was also involved at the same time in other hotels throughout Europe. What he accomplished in a 24-hour day was astounding, but all that never-ending work had a steep price. While I did not find this book by Luke Barr fascinating, it was still interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, and now I know all that was behind the 1920s slang term "to put on the Ritz".
(Note: I received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.)
June 18, 2019
I'll be back when I have read the book. It looks like an interesting biography, but at the same time made by another small time propagandist: the "leisure class" could not have been made or "risen" because of a cook and small time manager. They merely taped an unaddressed need. And the offer was mostly bullshit, as the people writing about Escoffier barely understand physics, chemistry or economics, yet they are in ecstasy about dishes they have never tasted in the original form.
November 24, 2024
This book was received as a Goodreads.com giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting book about how Ritz and Escoffier built their luxury dynasty. They were both from very humble beginnings. Much time was spent focusing on how the two built up the Savoy Hotel in London to prominence within the royal and newly rich class. While Ritz ran the Savoy, Escoffier ruled the kitchen. The brilliance of Escoffier in French cuisine and developing new recipes was astounding. Ultimately, it was their combined experience that allowed them to open the first Ritz Hotel in Paris.
I found this to be a very interesting read.
I found this to be a very interesting read.
May 6, 2018
Hotelier Cesar Ritz and chef Auguste Escoffier transform the Savoy in London and later open the Ritz hotel. Their story is quite interesting as it exposes the prejudices and the rise of the leisure class.
July 24, 2018
Enjoyable and engaging overview of Ritz' and Escoffier's career(s). Set well in the context of history.
October 13, 2018
3.5 stars
October 20, 2019
A brisk, light look at the title subjects, how they changed how we travel and eat, and how oddly corrupt they were in their own way.
March 13, 2024
Very interesting, but longer than necessary.
June 8, 2025
A nice little glimpse back in time.
June 24, 2018
This was pretty good, but I was left kind of sad at the end. I also felt like there was something missing...I don't know. The main focus is on Ritz, but we learn very little about his early life; he sort of just materializes as someone who is already fairly well established in the hotel industry. And Escoffier plays second fiddle a bit for the first part of the book. I feel like I learned even less about his back story (oh, and his poor wife...whatever happened to her?!).
Also, I wish I had not listened to in on audio, because the lists of who attended what dinners and what was on the menu did get tedious to listen to. I certainly would have skimmed right past these in a physical book.
All that said, a nice romp through late 19th century high class Europe and an easy enough summer read.
Also, I wish I had not listened to in on audio, because the lists of who attended what dinners and what was on the menu did get tedious to listen to. I certainly would have skimmed right past these in a physical book.
All that said, a nice romp through late 19th century high class Europe and an easy enough summer read.
February 22, 2024
It’s just such a historical non-fiction type of book. Not my vibe. Also contant foreshadowing that something bad was gonna happen.
March 12, 2020
Realistically there are only two things that could make this book better. If Oscar Wilde didn't exist and if the book came with scratch and sniff sections.
Also the rich people were crazy loose with their money back then.
Also the rich people were crazy loose with their money back then.
July 16, 2021
A really enjoyable historical account of the men who invented the luxury hotel experience as we know it today.
April 8, 2018
A captivating and well-researched slice of Gilded Age life. Ritz and Escoffier are legends in the worlds of service, luxury, and style. The book captures the moment that the Savoy hotel became the place to be seen by London's elite. The details on Escoffier's famed elaborate menus, gossip at the time, and the tidal shift in wealth made this a fascinating read.
March 16, 2018
What does one think of when one hears the name Ritz? Cesar Ritz, the man behind the concept of ritzy, was a simple man, uneducated and insecure. He thought he had peasant hands. Yet, he knew the hotel business. When approached by the owners of the Savoy Hotel in London, Ritz took charge and modernized the concept of hotels and service forever. Ritz's first act was to install Auguste Escoffier as the hotel's chef. Escoffier, with his theory of brigade de cuisine, revolutionized the preparation of food and the philosophy of service. He fought to have cooks recognized as professionals. This is a compelling adventure story, as Ritz and Escoffier battle tight-fisted directors, old-world attitudes, and the sheer physical challenge of serving hundreds of fastidious diners at private parties and at evening service. This is a rarefied world of princes, lords, ladies, and the occasional courtesan. Ritz changed the social order by appealing to Jews and the nouveau riches (those who earned money). This slim narrative has color, excitement, history, and even financial scandal. Names are dropped, especially the Prince of Wales (soon to be King Edward VII), tons of truffles are eaten, and champagne flows throughout. This book may be about snobs but it is not for snobs. A delight!
October 28, 2017
The stories of both a legendary hotelman and an exemplary chef make for a great read in Luke Barr’s “Ritz & Escoffier.” The late 1800s into the early 1900s was the period of the European grand hotel and two men, Cesar Ritz and Auguste Escoffier, were largely responsible for the proliferation of many fine hostelries at that time.
Hotelier Cesar Ritz became famous as his travels around the world of hospitality took him through ever-increasing levels of responsibility as he created and maintained the highest levels of service in many fine hotels all over Europe. He met master chef Auguste Escoffier in Switzerland in 1873 and their tandem career of creating fine hotels with exquisite food preparation began. Some small accomplishments started a long and prosperous relationship.
Their first major venture was the renovation of the Savoy in London in 1890. The transformation was an immediate success creating a major change in aristocratic lodging and dining. Ritz was able to exercise his managerial magic to attract the moneyed to the hotel’s swank confines and Escoffier created many famous dishes at the Savoy. Despite their success, both Ritz and Escoffier were fired in 1897 by the board of directors for improprieties with hotel properties and supplies as well as conflicts of interest as they attempted to expand their vision of fine hotels throughout Europe.
Their reputations were not damaged, however, as they successfully opened Hotel Ritz in Paris and, in subsequent years, the Carlton and Ritz hotels in London. These, along with the Savoy, are still operating as first-class hotels today. Escoffier went on to oversee food preparation aboard the super liner SS Imperator and so impressed Kaiser Wilhelm II that the Emperor proclaimed him to be the “Emperor of Chefs” further establishing him as the pre-eminent French chef at the time. Several international culinary schools operate today under the Escoffier name. His cookbook is legendary and still in print.
Luke Barr is an editor at “Travel+Leisure” magazine and author of “Provence 1970” His great aunt was M.F.K. Fisher, a prominent American food writer, giving him some foresight into the world of cooking. He is a great writer, presenting a complex biography of two complicated men and their lives in the hospitality business. I found the book to be fascinating and written in a style that provided the reader with details about a business that is full of intrigue and abstract ideas. Innovative ideas about managing hotels and the staffs and the creation of magnificent food are provided. Aside from absence of bedbugs and impeccable cleanliness, it’s hard to define what’s necessary in the hospitality world but Barr succeeds with great insight.
It’s difficult to place a label on what it is that provides comfort and taste to those who eat and travel, or, for that matter, those who are merely away from home when its time to have a meal. The author has done that with great competence. This might be my favorite book of the year.
January 15, 2020
Interesting and informative, this small book captured the heart of Cesar Ritz and Auguste Escoffier’s vision to create the ultimate luxurious hotel and dining experience. Together they gave us the meaning behind “ritzy” and showed us how fine dining could be. Barr shared a lot of information in the book, but not how he knew it or where he found it. I know this wasn’t an academically written history book, and I didn’t expect footnotes. To find the information believable rather than just dubious and potentially fictional, I would like to have seen phrases like, “according to her memoir Marie Ritz . . .” or “as he wrote in his letters Ritz . . . “ etc. Barr would write “Ritz was elated” or “Escoffier was thrilled” to describe settings, but how can we possibly know that? Those are intense feelings to be casually used. Basically I really wanted to know where he got his information. He listed a bibliography at the end, but it could have been lightly peppered in the text. Also, the description of the book indicates that it will tell us how the term “ritzy” became culturally imbedded, but it did not even approach anything like an examination of how we have come to understand luxury or even the class of people who get to experience it. He describes the people who came to the hotels, but there was no examination of them or the trend, and especially nothing related to today’s “ritzy” classes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews