Ritz and Escoffier

The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class

By: Luke Barr

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

In a tale replete with scandal and opulence, Luke Barr, author of the New York Times bestselling Provence, 1970, transports readers to turn-of-the-century London and Paris to discover how celebrated hotelier César Ritz and famed chef Auguste Escoffier joined forces at the Savoy Hotel to spawn the modern luxury hotel and restaurant, where women and American Jews mingled with British high society, signaling a new social order and the rise of the middle class.

In early August 1889, César Ritz, a Swiss hotelier highly regarded for his exquisite taste, found himself at the Savoy Hotel in London. He had come at the request of Richard D'Oyly Carte, the financier of Gilbert & Sullivan's comic operas, who had modernized theater and was now looking to create the world's best hotel. D'Oyly Carte soon seduced Ritz to move to London with his team, which included Auguste Escoffier, the chef de cuisine known for his elevated, original dishes. The result was a hotel and restaurant like no one had ever experienced, run in often mysterious and always extravagant ways--which created quite a scandal once exposed.
Barr deftly re-creates the thrilling Belle Epoque era just before World War I, when British aristocracy was at its peak, women began dining out unaccompanied by men, and American nouveaux riches and gauche industrialists convened in London to show off their wealth. In their collaboration at the still celebrated Savoy Hotel, where they welcomed loyal and sometimes salacious clients, such as Oscar Wilde and Sarah Bernhardt, Escoffier created the modern kitchen brigade and codified French cuisine for the ages in his seminal Le Guide culinaire, which remains in print today, and Ritz, whose name continues to grace the finest hotels across the world, created the world's first luxury hotel. The pair also ruffled more than a few feathers in the process. Fine dining would never be the same--or more intriguing.

Unknown history of two great men

We all know the names, Ritz, and Escoffier very well in modern society. What we don’t know is what these men did in their early careers separately and together to create the legendary persona they now have in European society.
This was a good rendition of what both went through to create their legends
I highly recommend this read.

amazing

Intriguing, Amazing, Well versed, I could not stop listening. A rare audio which will leave an everlasting effect in my mind. thank you

Culinary Passion

Loved the historical revelations of how the modern culinary arts became what they are now worldwide and instilled by two great men. Fantastic on all levels.

A rich and lavish serving of nostalgia

Languishes occasionally in encyclopedic lists and details, but a well researched trip to fin du siecle Europe

Wow

Loved learning how these two rose to fame and notoriety . What an incredible time in history .