Background
Escoffier was born at the village of Villeneuve-Loubet, France, on October 28, 1846, the son of a blacksmith.
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chef restaurateur culinary writer
Escoffier was born at the village of Villeneuve-Loubet, France, on October 28, 1846, the son of a blacksmith.
At the age of 13, Georges was apprenticed to his uncle, a restaurateur in Nice.
After six years of training, Escoffier became a staff member of Le Restaurant du Petit Moulin Rouge in Paris. Before 1878 he opened his own restaurant, Le Faisan d'Or (The Golden Pheasant), in Cannes. During the Franco-Prussian War he served as a chef in the French army, and in 1883 he was hired as master chef at the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo.
In 1890 Georges moved to the kitchen of the Savoy Hotel in London where he created the dessert Pêches Melba in honor of the famous Australian opera singer Nellie Melba. In 1898, Escoffier left the Savoy for the Carlton, where he remained for 23 years, with intermittent service at several other elegant hotels, including the Grand in Rome and the Ritz hotels in New York, Budapest, and Madrid. In 1913 he met Kaiser Wilhelm II on the SS Imperator, the ocean liner. Kaiser's favourite strawberry pudding was named fraises Imperator by Escoffier for the occasion. Escoffier died in Monte Carlo on February 12, 1935.
Escoffier was widely regarded as one of the leading cooks in the tradition of grand European cuisine. He created perhaps 10,000 recipes, many of which are now standard in haute cuisine. Hundreds of chefs trained in his kitchens have worked in the world's leading restaurants and luxury ships; one of them was Akiyama Tokuzō.
In 1923 Georges was made a knight of Order of the Dannebrog. He also was the first chef to become an officer of the Legion of Honor (1928). In the small town of Palm City Escoffier is especially praised; here the annual French Sauce Competition is held. There is a bust of him in Villeneuve-Loubet.
He was a member of the World Association of Chefs Societies.
Quotes from others about the person
The legend says, that the Kaiser met Escoffier and said "I am the Emperor of Germany, but you are the Emperor of Chefs."
In 1880 Georges married Delphine Daphis. They had two children. Their youngest son Daniel was killed in active action during the World War I.
