CULINARY INFO
Chefs

ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS OF INTEREST

Aegus :
A specialist from the Island of Rhodes in the roasting of fish

Aphthonetus :
An expert in sausage making (sausages and the haggis are said to be Ancient Greek in origin)

Apicius :
Marcus Gavius Apicius, born about 25AD he is reputed to have written a book of recipes called ‘de re conquinaria libri decem’ (Cuisine in ten books). He was reknown for his expensive taste and extravagance.

Archestratus :
Greek poet and gastronome of the 4th century. He wrote a poem ( quite a lengthy one) entitled Gastronomy, which detailed advice for the gourmet, fragments of which still remain. the poem is also known under the names; Gastrology, Deipnology and Hedypathy.

Aristion :
Said to have been a master at preparing foods for 'picnics'

Artmidourous :
Spent his life writing about the function of the stomach, he presented his life's work in a poem entitled, "Gastronomy". Tragically this work has long since been lost; it was said to contain the entire structure of ancient Greek in detail.

Charides :
Hailing from the capital of Athens, his forcemeats were said to be unpsurpassable

Euthymos :
Excellance in lentil dishes

Lamprius :
Excellance in black broths are his claim to fame

Nereus :
From Chios, he specialised in cooking of conger eels

Philoxenus :
A Theoretician from Leucadus, he spent his life devoted to the study of digestion. Rather unusually, he overtime, got his hands and mouth accostomed to temeratures of 100° C (boiling point of water). At meals he would have his staff serve the meals as hot as was possible and would sit there and eat, meanwhile his guests would have to sit and wait until the food had cooled sufficiently.

Pythyllus :
He invented a sheath to fit over the tongue; this was to protect from the more pungent seasonings used. Needless to say the idea was not popular.

Pythegnos :
His skills in organising and catering 'Orgies' were never matched.

Thimbon :
Said to have nursed the culinary art from the beginning to its height in Rome

Thimacides :
A poet as well as a cook; he combined both of these skills to inspire his pupils

Jules Gouffe
born: 1807, died 1877

Alexis Soyer
born : 04 February 1810, died 5 August 1858
In my opinion probably the most underated and lesser known of the 'Master' chefs. Alexis amongst other things created classical dishes, was an author, invented many kitchen appliances including an army stove that was in use for nearly a century and an aid for rescueing the drowning. He created a single dish that cost over a hundred pounds and yet organaised soup kitchens for the needy, that produced soups at less than a penny per litre.

For more information on this great chef, please visit www.soyer.co.uk

Urbaine Francois Dubois
born : 1818, died 1901

Charles Pierre Monselet
born : 1825, died 1888

Charles Ranhofer
born : 1836, died 1899
The first internationally famous Chef from an American establishment.(see Larouse Gastronomique)

Auguste Escoffier
1846 - 1935
The French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier, b. Oct. 28, 1846 (Villeneuve-Loubet in the Provence region) d. Feb. 12, 1935, modernised and simplified the elaborate cuisine created by the 18th-century master chef, Marie CAREME.

For a more complex biography of the "King of Chefs and Chef of Kings" click on the link below
ESCOFFIER

Marthe Distell
born :
The Cordon Bleu is a famous school of cooking in Paris and was founded in 1895 by Marthe Distell to teach the principles of French cuisine to the daughters of upper-class families. Today it attracts amateur and professional cooks from throughout the world. The term cordon bleu is probably derived from the blue ribbons worn by knights of the Order of the Holy Ghost, a chivalric order renowned for the excellence of its table. The ribbon was first used as a gastronomic order of merit by King Louis XV, who bestowed it on Mme du Barry's chef, a woman; and for many years, the decoration was given only to top-ranked female cooks

Phileas Gilbert
born : 1857, died 1942

Prosper Montagne
born : 1864, died 1948

Edouard Nignon
born : 1865, died 1934

Maurice Edmond Sailland (Curnosky)
born : 1872, died 1956

Louis Diat
born : 1885, died 1957

Fernand Point
born : 1897, died 1955: Chef / patron of the La Pyramide restaurant in Vienne, France.
For a more complex biography of Chef Point click on the link below
POINT

Henri Soule
born : 1904, died 1966
(see Larouse Gastronomique)

Paul Bocuse
born : 1926

Marco Pierre White
Marco was born in Yorkshire in 1963 to an Italian mother, hence the name 'Marco'. Marco has 3 brothers, Graham, Clive and Craig. His mother died six days after giving birth to Craig. Marco was six. Marcos links to Italy are vague, consisting of summer holidays frolicking in the sun and eating lots of sun ripened fruits. Some of Marcos flare and flamboyance are probably attributable to his Italian roots.

Marco first entered a kitchen when he was sixteen. He remembers his first day: "I began on day one at 7:30 am and I can't remember when I finished. My first job was to sieve an enormous stockpot. I was given a chinois and a small ladle. The stock was a thick glutinous jelly and it took me three hours to force it through the sieve - no one told me to warm it up first and then pour it through. They just left me to it. No one mentioned eating, either. At eight o'clock they told me to clean a big walk in freezer and put everything in fresh containers. I was absolutely starving and took a mouthful out of one of the containers. In an instant it was all gone. About an hour later a panicking pastrycook raced through the kitchen shouting for his bavarois. I hadn't a clue what a bavarois was."

Marco's next place of employment was at the Box Tree at Ilkley. At that time the Box Tree's chef was Michael Lawson. Lawson, although having received no formal training was a superb cook. He had gained his knowledge through dining at Frances best restaurants. It was here that Marco started to feel for his work.

Marco then went on to the Gavroche, where he worked with Albert Roux. Albert taught Marco about the proper use of extravagance and to attend to details. Albert said of Marco: "...He is a man who is running at a hundred miles an hour. If he doesn't burn himself out-and somehow I think he won't-he'll go right to the top." Marco learned his skills as the protégé of Albert Roux at the famous Gavroche restaurant, before opening his own, Harvey's, in Wandsworth, SouthWest London in 1987. At 25 years old he became the youngest chef ever to win two Michelin stars for Harvey's. In 1992 he opened The Canteen, and in 1993, his latest venture, The Restaurant in Hyde Park Hotel, was launched and immediately gained two Michelin stars. He is now the only restaurateur in Britain to have two restaurants with these coveted awards. His book 'White Heat', was published in 1990.

Following the Gavroche, Marco went to work with Nico. He was working at Nicos in the evenings and Gavroche in the mornings. He slept very little and spent most of his time learning, practising, working. Marco mentions that he learned about the slow pursuit of perfection from Nico. Nico was always looking to improve his work. Always chipping away.

After working for Nico, Marco went into a slump. He quit his job and become in his own words "a Gastro-punk" He was acting decadently, working for a couple of weeks, wasting all his money; After eighteen months of this self-indulgence he decided to grow up and return to the kitchen. He showed up at Pierre Koffmanns and worked for free until he was able to replace a staff member who had moved on. Marco claims that he learned about bread from Pierre. This is rather unflattering and typical of Marcos egotism.

After Pierres, Marco moved on to work with Raymond Blanc. He promised Nico that he would remain with Raymond at the Manoir aux Quat'Saisons for at least a year. Once again Marco makes reference to his own greatness: "Raymond couldn't hold the reins on me, though. I was in a hurry, and too talented for my age. He (Raymond) knew I had flair - and I knew I had flair. I can throw something on a plate and it will look wonderful." Marco does, however, state that Raymond has a great sense of taste, he states that food should actually taste of what it is. He further states that it was from Raymond that he developed his own sense of taste. (Laughingly) Marco also states that he is most similar to Raymond as a chef. He mentions that there is an element of madness in both of them. He suggests that one-day both he and Raymond will be wearing not chef's jackets but straitjackets.