Escoffier, Auguste
Auguste Escoffier (28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was born near Nice in 1846 and became head chef at The Savoy when he was 44. He modernised kitchen activities in general and simplified the elaborate cuisine of the 19th century. For his clientele, he invented Chaud-Froid Jeannette (named after the North Pole expedition ship Jeannette); for the Prince of Wales he served Cuisses de Nymphe Aurore, or – more simply – frogs’ legs (‘cuisses’ literally means thighs, but, as you will agree, Nymphe Aurore isn’t the direct translation of ‘frog’, either!) and the Prince loved it. As a result tout London was soon eating frogs’ legs. Rejane Salad’s and Rachel Mignonettes of quail were each created as a homage to a great actress and Tournedos Rossini was named after the Italian composer. Filets de Sole Coquelin, Homard aux Feux Eternels, Les Volailles à la Derby and of course Pêche Melba were among the other creations first presented at The Savoy.
Escoffier (seated) at the Baur au Lac in Zurich in 1930, attending a cooking exhibition.
Escoffier, once ‘crowned’ by William II with the encouraging words ‘I am the Emperor of Germany, but you are the emperor of chefs,’ also introduced substantial changes to the way dishes were presented, choosing fine china, silver, linen and glassware which enhanced the superb food and wine.
He introduced practical kitchen gadgets while at the same time banning alcohol, one of the most common working companions of generations of chefs, from the kitchen. He also insisted on the cleanliness of his employees during working hours, and encouraged them to dress and behave in a better manner in their free time as well. He advised them to acquire education and culture along with their professional training, thus improving the traditionally bad reputation of cooks.
Escoffier established the kitchen brigade of chef de parties. Kitchens had for centuries been separated into sections, but he devised an organised system to ensure there was no duplication of work. In addition to all these improvements, he was largely responsible for simplifying menus and creating different courses instead of vast collections of dishes all served at the same time.
