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Born
just before the revolution began, Marie-Antoine Carême
(or Antonin, as he called himself) is somewhat of a success
story. At the age of ten his own father who was too poor
to care for the boy cast him into the streets of Paris.
As luck would have it young Carême knocked on the
door of a modest cookshop, where he was taken in and fed,
it is also where he began his culinary education by doing
a six-year apprenticeship. Carême then went to work
for Bailly, who was one of the most famous pâtissiers
of the day. A gifted cook and fast learner, Carême
quickly attracted the attention of Prince de Talleyrand,
who soon employed him as his chef. Carême is usually
credited as the founder of cuisine classique. He was the
first to systematically organize the many dishes and culinary
techniques in classical cooking. A prolific author, his
many books reflect his skill for detail and organization.
His books would be the benchmark in fine cuisine for almost
a century. Carême was also a gifted artist, which
was reflected in his elaborate buffets that were usually
multi-tiered and included ornate sculptures. But unfortunately,
Carême lived a short and intense life. He was no doubt,
a workaholic and would often rise at 3 am to begin work;
he'd work all day and evening, then write until the wee
hours of the following morning. Carême wrote many
of his books late in life while he was ill. In this epic
passage he wrote about the lives and working conditions
of chefs at the time, and makes reference to his own mortality
"Charcoal [smoke] kills us, but what does it matter?
The shorter the life, the greater the glory."
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