Carême

The First Celebrity Chef

By: Ian Kelly

Narrated by: Ian Kelly

Bloomsbury presents Carême, written and read by Ian Kelly.

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'Magnificent' ANTHONY BOURDAIN
'Irresistible' HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL
'A classic' DAMIAN BARR

From historian and screenwriter, Ian Kelly, comes the legendary story of Carême, the original celebrity chef.

Recounting the fairy-tale-like rise of Antonin Carême from Parisian orphan to a household name synonymous with culinary luxury, Carême offers a unique conflation of historical biography, social history and cookery guide. Kelly lifts the veil on one of the most momentous and sensuous periods in European history: First Empire Paris, Georgian England and the tsarist Russia of War and Peace, depicting Carême’s entanglements with the social and political elite of his age, from King George IV to Napoleon, the Romanovs to the Rothschilds.

Alongside this story of Carême, the trail-blazing celebrity chef, culinary artist and revolutionary food writer, Ian Kelly brings to life the recipes themselves.

As Carême wrote, ‘You should try this yourself, at home’.

©2025 Ian Kelly (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

'I was really truly bowled over' (Giles Coren)

'In this well-researched book, Ian Kelly deftly recounts the exploits of this remarkable man' (Jacques Pépin)