Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, the Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class

By Luke Barr

Book Overview

Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed Ritz and Escoffier. 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 C sar Ritz and famed chef Auguste Escoffier joined forces at the Savoy Hotel to spawn a scandalously modern luxury hotel and restaurant, signaling a new social order and the rise of the middle class.

In early August 1889, C sar 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, along with Auguste Escoffier, the chef de cuisine known for his elevated, original dishes. The two created a hotel and restaurant like no one had ever experienced, in often mysterious and always extravagant ways, where British high society mingled with American Jews and women.
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 riche and gauche industrialists convened in London to show off their wealth. In their collaboration at the still celebrated Savoy Hotel, the pair welcomed loyal and sometimes salacious clients, such as Oscar Wilde and Sarah Bernhardt; Escoffier created the modern kitchen brigade and codified French cuisine in his seminal Le Guide culinaire, which remains in print today; and Ritz, whose name continues to grace the finest hotels, created the world's first luxury hotel. The pair also ruffled more than a few feathers. Fine dining and luxury travel would never be the same--or more intriguing.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804186316
• ISBN13: 9780804186315
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully detailed gem that brings the Ritz to life

This book was such a delight, in ways I couldn’t imagine until reading it. A perfect window into a lost time, with an expansive view of wealth and decadence many of us will never know and barely knew existed. The characters come brilliantly to life, especially the singular genius of Ritz and his famous chef Escoffier, but really the hotels themselves are the shining stars, and the extravagant dishes and famous guests that filled the rooms. A perfect way to learn about the customs of the leisure class at the turn of the last century. Luke Barr has a gift for setting the scene and filling his pages with details that make you feel as if you were there. As entertaining as a novel!