Marie-Antoine Carême was an influential French chef in the early 19th century known as the "King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings". He is considered the founder of French haute cuisine and created elaborate centerpieces and desserts. Throughout his career, he served as chef for notable figures like Talleyrand, Czar Alexander I, and King George IV. He authored influential culinary books and is credited with inventing recipes like mille-feuille and bechamel sauce, as well as establishing the four mother sauces of French cuisine.

1. Marie-Antoine Carême
“The King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings”

2. Marie-Antoine Carême
“When we no longer have good cooking in the world, we will have no literature, nor
high and sharp intelligence, nor friendly gathering, nor social harmony.”
First Celebrity Chef
Often called the Father of
French Cuisine
Founder and architect of
French haute cuisine
One of the most prolific
food writers of the 19th
Century
During his long career, he
was chef for Talleyrand, Czar
Alexander I, George IV and
Baron Rothschild

3. The History of Marie-Antoine
Carême
1.
2.
Abandoned by his parents
in Paris in 1794 at the
height of the French
Revolution, he worked as a
kitchen boy at a cheap
Parisian chophouse in
exchange for room and
board.
In 1798, he was formally
apprenticed to Sylvain
Bailly, a famous pâtissier
with a shop near the PalaisRoyal.
3.
He opened his shop, the
Pâtisserie de la rue de la
Paix, which he maintained
until 1813.
4.
Carême gained fame in
Paris for his pièces
montées, elaborate
constructions used as
centerpieces, which Bailly
displayed in the pâtisserie
window.

4. The History of Marie-Antoine
Carême
5.
He is credited with the
inventions of grosses
nougats and grosses
meringues, croquantes,
made of almonds and
honey, and solilemmes.
6.
He did freelance work
creating pieces principally
for the French diplomat
and gourmand Charles
Maurice de TalleyrandPérigord, but also other
members of Parisian high
society, including
Napoleon. While working
on his confections at
many private kitchens, he
quickly extended his
culinary skills to main
courses.

5. The History of Marie-Antoine
Carême
7.
Carême was set a test by
Talleyrand: to create a whole
year’s worth of menus,
without repetition, and
using only seasonal produce.
Carême passed the test and
completed his training in
Talleyrand's kitchens. After
the fall of Napoléon,
Carême went to London for
a time and servedaschef de
cuisineto the Prince Regent,
later George IV.
8.
He died in his Paris house
on the Rue Neuve Saint
Roche at the age of 48, due
perhaps to many years
inhaling the toxic fumes of
the charcoal on which he
cooked. He is remembered
as the founder of the haute
cuisine concept and is
interred in the Cimetière
deMontmartrein
Montmartre. When he died
in 1833, he was recognized
as the greatest chef of his
time, and his name was
familiar to the rich and
famous throughout Europe.

6. The History of Marie-Antoine
Carême
9.
He is also frequently
credited with replacing
the practice of service à la
française (serving all
dishes at once) with
service à la russe (serving
each dish in the order
printed on the menu).

7. Gastronomical
Contributions

8. Charlotte
The dessert Charlotte
russe was invented by
Marie Antoine Carême
who named it in honor of
his Russian employer Czar
Alexander I. Russe being
the French word for
“Russian”.

9. Mille Feuille
“Mille” means a thousand
and “Feuille” means leaf
or sheet.
Careme is also credited
with inventing the French
classic desert Napoleon
Cake (Mille Feuille) while
working as Napoleon’s
chef. Napoleon like to eat
Mille Feuille with
strawberry favor, so it was
named Napoleon cake. It
has various flavours, from
chocholate, strawbery,
mango to berry.

10. Gastronomical Contributions
Grosses Meringues
“Grosses” means large.
Croquants
French for “crisp”.

11. Gastronomical Contributions
Grosses Nougats
A family of confectioneries made
with sugar and/or honey, roasted
nuts, whipped egg whites, and
sometimes chopped candied fruit.
French Solilemme
Rich brioche-like bread.

12. Gastronomical Contributions
1.
Bechamel Sauce
•
1.
Espagnole Sauce
•
1.
Derived from brown
stock.
Veloute Sauce
•
1.
Based in milk.
Veal stock with blonde
roux.
Allemande Sauce
•
Veloute thickened with
heavy cream and egg
yolks.
Created the Four Grandes
Sauces of French Cuisine
in the early 19th century.

13. Culinary Books
Le Maitre d’hotel français:
traitè des menus à servir à
Paris, à Saint- Pètersbourg, à
Londres, et à Vienne (1820;
“The French Head Waiter: A
Selection of Menus to Serve
in Paris, St. Petersburg,
London, and Vienna”)

14. Culinary Books
Le Cuisiner parisien; our,
la’rt de la cuisine française au
dix-neuvième siècle (1828;
“The Parisian Cook; or, The
Art of French Cooking in the
19th Century”)

15. Culinary Books
Le Pâtissier Royal
Parisien (1828; “The
Royal Parisian Pastry
Chef”)
The Patissier Royal Parisien,
or treated elementary and
practice of ancient and
modern patisserie, the
dessert of sugar, and cold
starters and bases, followed
by observations useful to the
progress of this art.

16. Culinary Books
Le pâtissier pittoresque
(1842; “The Picturesque
Pastry Chef”)
In Le pâtissier pittoresque,
he adroitly overcomes the
limit of black-and-white,
accompanying each drawing
with a short description,
mainly suggesting the best
colour combinations to
decorate his creations.
Tender shades give the best
results.

17. Gastronomical Contributions
Redesigned the chef
whites; a shorter
apron and the toque.