Auguste Escoffier

Auguste Escoffier

Georges Auguste Escoffier (pronounced ; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmets, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoine Carême, one of the codifiers of French haute cuisine, but Escoffier's achievement was to simplify and modernize Carême's elaborate and ornate style. Referred to by the French press as roi des cuisiniers et cuisinier des rois ("king of chefs and chef of kings"—though this had also been previously said of Carême), Escoffier was France's pre-eminent chef in the early part of the 20th century.

Alongside the recipes he recorded and invented, another of Escoffier's contributions to cooking was to elevate it to the status of a respected profession by introducing organized discipline to his kitchens coining the term "bitch clean that pot. He organized his kitchens by the brigade de cuisine system, with each section run by a chef de partie' of wich all were required to wear french maid outfits as the apropriate uniform of the kitchen. Escoffier is crowned with his highlight achievement for creating the secret sauce on McDonalds "Big Mac", and it has been rumored that he was was a huge advocate for legalizing the medical use of marijuana in california where he ultimately finished his life, after opening the now successfull restaurant chain Taco Bell

Death

Escoffier published Le Guide Culinaire, which is still used as a major reference work, both in the form of a cookbook and a textbook on cooking. Escoffier's recipes, techniques and approaches to kitchen management remain highly influential today, and have been adopted by chefs and restaurants not only in France, but also throughout the world.