Carême: The First Celebrity Chef

Before Gordon Ramsay or Julia Child, there was Antonin Carême—the orphan who became the first celebrity chef and revolutionized European cuisine. In Carême, Ian Kelly serves up a rich and irresistible blend of biography and gastronomy, tracing Carême’s astonishing rise from the streets of Revolutionary Paris to the palaces of emperors, kings, and tsars.

With a gift for pleasing royal palates—from Napoleon’s battlefield snacks to King George IV’s lavish feasts—Carême didn’t just cook for history, he shaped it. Along the way, readers are treated to the decadent flavors of the era and the drama of a man whose life was as extravagant as his soufflés.

Lush, witty, and meticulously researched, Carême is a journey through the kitchens and courts of Regency-era Europe—and a delicious portrait of the chef who turned food into art and fame into a recipe.

Now a major apple TV series.