The Secret History of French Cooking - by Luke Barr (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This deeply researched cultural and culinary history tells the story of a group of French chefs who, in the late 1960s and 70s revolutionized food culture, first at home and then, quickly, abroad, especially in the United States. The very idea of chef as creator can be traced back to these legends of la nouvelle cuisine: Paul Bocuse, Michel Guerard, and the Troisgros brothers"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Provence, 1970, a lively, dramatic account of the spectacular rise of French "nouvelle cuisine," and the renegade chefs of the 1960s and 1970s who revolutionized modern cooking.

In The Secret History of French Cooking, Luke Barr takes readers inside the culinary rebellion that upended the staid French food world and reinvented the role and cultural importance of chefs and restaurants. The very idea of the chef as creator--as innovator, artist, auteur--can be traced back to the legendary Paul Bocuse, Michel Guérard, and the Troisgros brothers, among other colorful characters. The book also tells the largely unknown story of a group of women chefs who fought for recognition in the all-male culinary establishment of the 1970s, and the villainous, powerful food critic who cast a shadow over the era.

This is a tale of rivalries, global success, and a ferocious backlash; of celebrity, money, politics, and incredibly delicious food. The Secret History of French Cooking reveals the origins of modern food and restaurant culture--the forces that shaped the way we eat today.

About the Author

LUKE BARR is the author of Provence, 1970 (about his great-aunt M. F. K. Fisher) and Ritz & Escoffier. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, architect Yumi Moriwaki, and their two daughters.