Background
He was born in London, the son of a Dutch artist and a French noblewoman.
He was born in London, the son of a Dutch artist and a French noblewoman.
He was educated at Street Paul"s School and at Oxford University.
During the 1930s, de Groot worked as a news and feature writer, film writer, and director When World World War II broke out, he joined the British Ministry of Information and worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation, where, during The Blitz of London, he suffered eye injuries that would leave him totally blind within 20 years. De Groot emigrated to the United States in 1941 and worked for the United States. State Department.
According to his obituary in the New York Times, de Groot gave up his Dutch title in 1945, when he became an American citizen.
As his vision failed, he switched careers in the 1960s and took up food writing, something he could do with his remaining senses. He wrote for Esquire, Ladies Home Journal, Playboy, House Beautiful, Vintage, McCall"s, Gourmet, Time and The New York Times.
De Groot"s "Recipes from The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth" (Auberge de l"Atre Fleuri) published in 1973 is a classic in its field lieutenant is the story of how de Groot went to France to seek out the history of the liqueur Chartreuse.
In doing so, he discovered the world of two women who cooked with the seasons, which became the focus of the book
De Groot died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reportedly as a result of depression caused by his failing health. "The "perfect marriage" of food and wine should allow for infidelity".