Paying Homage to a Legend
The Escoffier dinner at Stratford Chefs School is an eagerly anticipated annual event in December that pays homage to the culinary legacy of Auguste Escoffier. Auguste Escoffier was not only the legendary chef at both the Ritz and the Carlton hotels, but was also responsible for modernizing and codifying French cuisine, and introducing the “brigade” system of organizing a kitchen.
A Formal Seven-Course Dinner
This year, the final student chef dinner before the winter holiday break takes place on Saturday, December 14. Students exchange their usual pillbox hats for traditional tall toques as they prepare a formal seven-course dinner inspired by both Escoffier’s classic recipes and their countless reinterpretations by today’s most celebrated chefs, all of whom are in Escoffier’s debt.
Step Back Into La Belle Epoque
Guests are treated to an experience that emphasizes both tradition and innovation, highlighting the principles of French cuisine that Escoffier championed. This dinner extravaganza is an opportunity for guests and students alike to step back into La Belle Epoque and pay homage to the King of Chefs, and Chef of Kings.
Escoffier Dinner Menu and Reservations
December 14 Dinner Menu inspired by AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER:
Oeuf Bénédictine
Gougère
Foie Gras Torchon
Purée Palestine
Carré d’Agneau
Salade Irma
Bombe Ceylane
Mignardises
Student Chef Elizabeth MacDonald
Chef Instructor Randi Rudner
Learn More About Auguste Escoffier
Auguste Escoffier (born October 28, 1846, Villeneuve-Loubet, France—died February 12, 1935, Monte-Carlo, Monaco) was a French culinary artist, known as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings,” who earned a worldwide reputation as director of the kitchens at the Savoy Hotel (1890–99) and afterward at the Carlton Hotel, both in London. His name is synonymous with classical French cuisine.
Escoffier began his career at the age of 12, and, when he retired from the Carlton Hotel at the age of 74, he counted 62 years of active service, a span considered a record in his profession. The name of Escoffier became of worldwide repute when in 1890 he was given the direction of the kitchens of the newly opened Savoy Hotel, and he created the péche Melba (peach Melba) in honour of the famous singer Nellie Melba when she was staying there in 1893. In 1899 he moved to the Carlton Hotel, where he was to build a fabulous reputation for haute cuisine during the next 23 years; on one occasion Emperor William II is reported to have said to Escoffier, “I am the emperor of Germany but you are the emperor of chefs.” In recognition of his services to the prestige of French cooking abroad, he was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1920 and made an officer of the order in 1928.
Besides the renown of his name, Escoffier wrote several books, notably Le Guide culinaire (1903, cowritten with Philéas Gilbert and Émile Fetu); The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery, which listed dishes according to their order of presentation and included the first á la carte menus; Le Livre des menus (1912; “The Book of Menus”); and Ma cuisine (1934; “My Cuisine”). Escoffier also published the monthly magazine Le Carnet d’epicure (“Notebook of a Gourmet”), which ran from 1911 to 1914.
Escoffier radically simplified food service by advocating the use of seasonal ingredients and the abandonment of elaborate garnishes. He also streamlined the organization of professional kitchens. These ideas were widely disseminated through Larousse Gastronomique (1938), a definitive work on classical French cuisine by Escoffier’s friend Prosper Montagné, a noted chef. Escoffier’s memoir, Souvenirs inédits (1985; Memories of My Life), was published posthumously.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Auguste-Escoffier
Learn More About Stratford Chefs School
Learn more about our Enriched Cook Apprenticeship 32 week program.
Learn more about our Student Chef Dinners, Open Kitchen recreational cooking classes, and other events.
Do you have questions about our Program?
Contact us by email admin@stratfordchef.com or call 519.271.1414
Photos: Terry Manzo