He was a French diplomat and he worked successfully from the regime of Louis XVI, through the revolution and then under Napoleon I, Louis XVIII and Louis-Philippe. Besides him being a successful diplomat he was also a celebrated host and connoisseur of good food. He employed the famous pastry chef Avice and the great chef Caréme. He also got a cook from Cambacéreés who was his rival and this cook invented a “snail dish a la bourguignonné” and Talleyrand made this dish fashionable.

With his cook Bouchée his dinners became very fashionable and famous. In his menu there were two soup courses, two removes including fish, four entrées, two roasts, four sweets and desert. This became a rule for the best tables. Talleyrand always carved the meat himself and served his guests himself, too.

In classic cuisine, Talleyrand’s name is associated with many number of preparations; veal chops, calves’ sweetbreads, tournades, large pieces of beef and veal and poultry which is garnished with buttered macaroni flavored with cheese and served with julienne of truffles, diced froe gras and Périgueux sauce.

His name was also given so some dishes like Talleyrand Sauce which is “chicken veluté sauce” with Madeira, mirepoix, truffles and pickled tongue. Also Talleyrand is a savarin cake made with chopped pineapple, soaked in syrup, covered with apricot glaze and decorated pineapple pieces. Moreover, another dish is stuffed anchovy fillets rolled into paupiettes, a curried omelets filled with calves’ sweetbreads and semolina croquettes stuffed with salpicon of poultry, pickled tongue, truffles and mushrooms and covered with demi-glas sauce.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand died on May 17, 1838 and was buried at his Château of Valençay. He was a great diplomat and a gourmet. Today, when speaking of the art of diplomacy, the phrase, “he is a Talleyrand” denotes a statesman of great resource and skill.

Born in 1846, Escoffier had contributed to the world of cuisine so much that he was called the King of Chefs. When he turned 13, his father took him to Nice where he apprenticed at a restaurant owned by his uncle and this had been the beginning of the famous career that he enjoyed for the next 62 years.

When the Franco-Prussian War began in 1870, he was called to the army and he served as Chef de Cuisine in the army. While he was in the army he noticed the need of tinned food. He made a lot of studies on the techniques of canning and preserving meats and vegetables. When he returned to the civilian life, Escoffier continued his career in several Parisian restaurants and he started to up for success.

By the time Auguste got into the culinary business, eating out at restaurants had long been a sophisticated entertainment and in his earliest years he was preparing complex dishes for gourmands. One of his early creations was the dish “Langouste niçoise” which he made in Chez Philippe in Nice. Later he took this specialty dish to Petit Moulin.

When Escoffier and César Ritz joined their forces at the Grand Hotel Monte Carlo, Auguste was 38 and Ceésar Ritz was 42 years old. César wanted his own luxuries hotel and Escoffier wanted his own business. César loved Escoffier as a chef and as a friend. They used to discuss the decoration, designs and so on.  Escoffier had done a lot to improve the working conditions and efficiency in the kitchen in Petit Moulin Rouge in Paris so in Grand Hotel he spread his influence in the kitchen. He particularly reduced the complexity of the meals, gave greater attention to the quality of individual dishes.He introduced a totally new mode of serving a meal in the restaurant of Grand at Monte Carlo. It was called a la Russe which was square plates, silver platea to hold the heat. The new style - simplified dishes in a much reduced menu, served in courses, a la Russe- spread across the world. He also visited the tables of important women to discuss their meal. The pairing of Escoffier and Ritz brought about significant changes in hotel industry development throughout the ensuing years, raising the standards of hospitality to considerable heights.

The Savoy Hotel asked Ritz to join them and Escoffier also went there. While he was in Savoy, Escoffier created one of his most famous recipes, Peach Melba, in honor of the Austrian singer Nellie Melba who was a guest at the hotel. Escoffier also developed a superior reputation for haute cuisine while he was in at the Carlton.

Among his achievements are the first à la Carte menu., simplifying the art of cooking by getting rid of flamboyant food displays and elaborate garnishes and by reducing the number of courses served, he also emphasized the use of seasonal foods and lighter sauces. Escoffier also simplified professional kitchen organization, as he incorporated it into a single unit from its previously individualized sections that operated autonomously and often created great wasted and duplication of labor.

Besides these achievements, he also wrote a number of books, many of which continue to be considered important today. Some of his best-known works include Le Guide Culinaire (1903), Le Livre des Menus (1912) and Ma Cuisine (1934).

 The French government recognized Escoffier in 1920 by making him a Chevalier of the Legion d’ Honneur, and later an Officer in 1928. The honors due Escoffier can be summed up by a quote from Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II when he told Escoffier, “I am the Emperor of Germany, but you are the emperor of chefs.”  Escoffier retired  and went to Monte Carlo in 1921 where he died on February 12, 1935.