Auguste Escoffier Essay Research Paper Auguste EscoffierAuguste

Auguste Escoffier Essay, Research Paper Auguste Escoffier Auguste Escoffier was born on October 28, 1846, in the village of Villeneuve-Loubet, France. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Escoffier and his wife Madeleine Civatte. His father was the villages blacksmith, farrier, locksmith, and maker of agricultural tools. Escoffier’s childhood dream was to become a sculptor. Unfortunately he was forced to give up that dream at the age of thirteen, just after he celebrated his first Holy Communion Escoffier was told he was going to be a cook. Although he did not want to, Escoffier started work as a kitchen apprentice at his uncle’s Restaurant Francais in Nice. Escoffier learned a great deal from his apprenticeship by working hard and determination to succeed. He realized the

significant role a good cook could play in society. Escoffier’s uncle also taught him how to buy for a restaurant. Escoffier learned all of the responsibilities in a restaurant, even table service. After completing his four year apprenticeship, Escoffier works for two years at various restaurants in Nice, such as Cercle Massena and Les Freres Provencaux. In April of 1865 Escoffier is recommended by M. Bardoux for work at his up-scale Parisian restaurant Le Petit Moulin Rouge in Paris. Here he worked his way up the ranks of the kitchen until the Franco- Prussian war in 1870. When the Franco-Prussian war broke out Escoffier was called into active duty as an army cook in the Rhine Army General Headquarters. He was shipped directly to Metz, where he was in charge of the Second

Division’s food supply with a fellow chef and his good friend, Bouniol. At Metz Escoffier witnessed the horrors of war and the toll it takes on a man’s spirit. Escoffier also had to deal with food shortages and rationing while Metz was under siege, when supplies ran out he had to resort to slaughtering horses for food. After the four month siege at Metz the French Army occupying the city surrendered, all of the soldiers became prisoners of war including Escoffier. Due to the fact that Escoffier was considered an officers orderly he had special rights and privileges. When Metz was evacuated, Escoffier was permitted to travel by train to meet up with his assigned officer in Mainz, only to find out his officer had been obliged to leave Mainz while his orderlies stayed at the

prison camp. Life was hard at the camp, they only got one meal every 24-36 hours and the food was rancid most of the time. When Escoffier was finally permitted to work he found a job at the Kursaal in Wiesbaden. The Kursaal was a very elegant restaurant in the posh resort village of Wiesbaden. Escoffier was barely at the Kursaal ten days when MacMahon arrived in Wiesbaden and hired him as his chef de cuisine. There he spent the remainder of the war. After the peace treaty was signed Escoffier boarded a train bound for France. When he reached Paris, Escoffier found that rioters had taken over the city. He immediately left the city and rejoined the army becoming chef de cuisine of Colonel Comte de Waldner. After discharging from the army once again Escoffier returned to Nice and

spent the winter season as chef de cuisine at Hotel Luxembourg. When Escoffier finally returned to Paris he re-opened Le Petit Moulin Rouge. Some of Le Petit Moulin Rouge’s customers included Duc de Morny, the Prince of Wales, MacMahon, Gambetta, and Sarah Bernhardt. Three years after re-opening Le Petit Moulin Rouge he opens his own restaurant, Le Faisan Dore located in Cannes. Somehow he manages to divide his time between Le Petit Moulin Rouge and Le Faisan Dore. In August of 1878, thirteen days after leaving Le Petit Moulin Rouge for the last time, Escoffier gets married at the age of 31. His bride, Delphine Daffis, is the oldest daughter of the very prominent editor, Paul Daffis. Later they will have two sons and a daughter together: Paul, Daniel, and Germaine. After only