Carême: The First Celebrity Chef

by Ian Kelly

Overview

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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.

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 history: 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 tool: 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.

Blending the incredible story of Carême's rise to stardom with the recipes he curated, author Ian Kelly seats us at the dining tables of monarchs and aristocrats and leads us into the sumptuous world of casseroles and kings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639738489
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Ian Kelly is an actor and writer. He has lived and worked in France, Russia, South America and the United States, and writes frequently about food and travel for many British publications, including The Times and the Guardian. He lives in Los Angeles.
Ian Kelly is a multi-award-winning writer and actor whose work spans stage (West End and Broadway), screen, historical biography and ballet. His books include Carême, which has been adapted as an AppleTV+ series, Beau Brummell, Casanova, Mr Foote's Other Leg, which was adapted for the stage, and the official autobiography of Vivienne Westwood. He lives in London and Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

A magnificent work. Ian Kelly is at the vanguard of the new rock 'n' roll of culinary literature.” —Anthony Bourdain

“Ian Kelly has done a wonderful job, not only of depicting Carême's culinary genius beautifully but of introducing us to his extraordinary personal life as well. I enjoyed reading this book immensely and recommend it to culinary historians and food buffs everywhere.” —Daniel Boulud

“In this well-researched book, Ian Kelly deftly recounts the exploits of this remarkable man.” —Jacques Pépin

“Ian Kelly's valuable and pleasurable addition to the literature of food combines an eye for the richness of historic detail with a solid sense of culinary crafts. While stimulating our palates, it breathes a life into a critical period in the building of modern Europe.” —Mark Kurlansky

“I was really truly bowled over.” —Giles Coren

“Absolutely irresistible.” —Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

“Delicious.” —Mail on Sunday

“Ian Kelly brings Carême's restless spirit back to life along with a tableau of la grande cuisine two hundred years ago.” —Anne Willan, founder of École de Cuisine La Varenne

From the Publisher