The Emperor Of Chefs And The Chef Of Emperors
Auguste Escoffier began his extensive and celebrated culinary profession at the young age of 13, retiring at the age of 61. Throughout his life he made French cooking world renowned. Escoffier transformed and revised menus, along with changing the art and preparation of cooking. Three of his cookbooks are still held in high-esteem as essential tools of the trade. His gastronomic modernizations included getting rid of grandiose cuisine presentations, and decorative garnishes, which decreased the quantity of courses served at a ceremonial gathering, by lessening sauces and putting more emphasis on seasonal foodstuff. While valuing and safeguarding the basic standards of traditional cuisine, Escoffier made things a lot simpler. In this thesis my purpose is to answer the following questions:
- What Did Escoffier Do, And Contribute To The Culinary scene?
- What Were Escoffier’s Philosophies?
- How Are They In Effect Today?
- How Do They Affect Today’s World?
- Are They Valid In Today’s World?
- How Did He Change The Former Styles Of Cooking?
What Did Escoffier Do, And Contribute To The Culinary Scene
In a World Wide Web journal (Escoffier On Line – Content 1996), Escoffier is revered as the father of modern French cuisine and is universally recognized as the finest master chef of the 20th century. Throughout his life he catered to Georges-Auguste Escoffier royalty and established the kitchens of many fine hotels (The Savoy, Grand Hotel Monte Carlo, Hotel Ritz Paris, Grand Hotel Rome, etc).
When Kaiser Wilhelm met Escoffier, he remarked “I am the Emperor of Germany, but you are the Emperor of Chefs.” Escoffier’s many contributions to the culinary world include the a la Carte menu, peach Melba, and his classification system for the “mother sauces”. Furthermore, he infused a general departure from the ostentatious culinary traditions of French cuisine. He also streamlined professional kitchens into a station-based brigade system, which is still used today. The lifetime count for Escoffier’s invented recipes exceeds 10,000.
What Were Escoffier’s Philosophies
In his early years, life for Escoffier was very demanding. While most teenagers were thinking about their first loves, Escoffier was already a full fledged apprentice in his uncle’s restaurant. Separately from working in the kitchen, he was also responsible for all the domestic duties. He was schooled in the way of buying foodstuff, and always remembered with a deep regard and appreciation, the strict obedience and strictness of his early training. Early on as a chef Escoffier believed that the atmosphere in the kitchens that he worked in, were horrific and impossible to bear. He also deplored the senior chefs’ excessive indulgence of drinking and smoking.
Escoffier believed that with his small stature, he was apt to suffer more from the intense heat of the stoves. But nevertheless, unlike the other high ranking chefs, he never gave in to drinking or smoking while on the job. In fact, he made it an aim of honor to uphold his immaculate refinement. As the years passed he approached a well known doctor to come up with a healthy drink that would help alleviate the distress of the kitchen staff that in those days Georges-Auguste Escoffier worked in such horrid conditions.
Consequently, all of his kitchens permanently had an infinite supply of a barley beverage, which all together ceased the consumption of alcohol in his kitchens. In addition, Escoffier banned his kitchen staff from swearing and ultimately abolished the use of all vulgar language while at work. He also barred the brutal treatment of young apprentices.
To let his staff know that he practiced what he preached, if there was ever a time when he was annoyed or infuriated, instead of ever losing his temper in front of his workforce, Escoffier would just simply leave the kitchen, and return when he was more calm and composed. Additionally, he insisted on the pristine hygiene of his workers, and persuaded them to dress and mind their manners while out in the general public. And last but not least, one of Escoffier’s most important philosophies was that his employees excel in culture and education.
How Are They In Effect Today
In the present day, via a blog in the World Wide Web (Escoffier & The Great Chefs (2006): The kitchen brigade as we know it of Chef de parties, was a system devised and implemented by Escoffier. Kitchens had for centuries been separated into sections, but it was August who devised an organized system to ensure there was no doubling up of work, and made sure that things were properly organized. Escoffier also introduced the genuine frying-pan into English Life.
In addition, Escoffier was responsible for simplifying menus, putting an end to the traditional manner of showcasing vast arrays of dishes served all at once. Service a’ la Francaise, was another of Escoffier’s brainstorms; he was the one that developed the premise of itemizing orders by writing them down and serving the food in the order they appeared; Service a’ la Russe.
Georges- Auguste Escoffier How Do They Affect Today’s World
Escoffier was one of the first chefs to have a genuine concern in maintaining the dietary significance of the cuisine he arranged and served. He was also blessed with a know-how in food knowledge, and was the first chef ever to preserve food. Escoffier also cultivated sauces that could be bottled for housewives. Furthermore, he upgraded the mindset that all workers associated with the serving of food should be devoted to honing their skills, and cultivated a universal expertise through education and schooling. In addition, he was responsible for writing several books on the subject of French cuisine; his most celebrated of his manuscripts are Le Guide Culinaire, and A Guide to Modern Cookery.
Are They Valid in Today’s World
By means of a World Wide Web editorial (Escoffier & The Great Chefs 3): The work of the kitchen had to be so organized that the quality of the food was not impaired by the speed with which it had to be served or by the number of clients. Hygienic considerations had to be taken into account also, and last but not least, in a country where the supply of provisions is often more difficult than in France, he had to organize a system of marketing which reconciled peerless quality with an economic price that is still valid in today’s world.
How Did He Change The Former Styles Of Cooking
To take into account on how Escoffier changed the former styles of cooking, you have consider that his success in cuisine surpassed all probability. He was renowned throughout the world for his infinite innovations, such as establishing an eminent belief Georges- Auguste Escoffier of “keeping cuisine simple”. He also devised a new cooking attitude; the logic of skill and precision.
Escoffier believed in polishing and highly cleansing the absolute plainness of dining, standards that have been adopted by the greatest chefs of today. His many offerings to the world of cookery transcend ahead of his countless modernizations, and advancements. In addition, he fashioned the brigade system, which eradicated the barbaric surroundings that were once present in hotel and eatery kitchens.
As already mentioned in this research paper, Escoffier abolished all vulgar language, and endorsed the standards that all kitchen staff be extremely hygienic and sanitary. Moreover, he inspired into his workers a valid admiration for the nourishing fare that they provided.
In conclusion, I’d just like to say that Auguste Escoffier laid down the law in regards to cooking procedures, carte du jours and kitchen establishments. Despite the fact that he is well renowned for his normalizing of sauces and French cuisine, he will always be known as the most innovative chef in history. His values, and way of life, along with his infinite achievements will always act as both a representation and revelation to the contemporary world of culinary arts.
Works Cited
- Bensky. G. (2001. June 25) Combat waste, food cost wars by arming yourself with the best artillery. Nation’s Restaurant News. 26. 32
- Bowen. D. (2004. September 21) The French vanguard. Restaurants & Institutions. 21. 8-15
- Auguste Escoffier, 1846 – 1935. (December 9, 2006). Retrieved December 9, 2006 From the World Wide Web: http://www.ldei.org/auguste.asp
- Escoffier On Line – Content. (December 9, 2006). Retrieved December 9, 2006 from The World Wide Web: http://www.escoffier.com
- Auguste Escoffier: Definition and Much More from Answers.com. (December 9, 2006). Retrieved December 9, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.answers.com/topic/auguste-escoffier
- Escoffier On Line- Escoffier & The Great Chefs. (December 9, 2006). Retrieved December 9, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.escoffier.com/great_chefs.html
