Luke Barr Livres

In this winningly-told story, Luke Barr explores the advent of the luxe life through the saga of hotelier Cesar Ritz and chef August Escoffier, whose partnership brought us not only the adjective ritzy, itself no small testament, but also such once-novel phenomena as hotel rooms with their own bathrooms, and innovative dishes like peach Melba. It's a charming tale of success, scandal, and redemption-complete with an unexpected villain. Trigger alert: It will make you hungry, and a little nostalgic for bygone times.-Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and Devil in the White City Such a fabulous couple of characters and such glamorous, dicey cosmopolitan milieux that Luke Barr depicts with such verve and lucidity. Ritz & Escoffier is a case study of the birth of branded luxury that reads like a dark, delicious urban spinoff prequel to Downton Abbey.-Kurt Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Spell America Without Me and Fantasyland So very much of what is exciting in food and hospitality today, started with Ritz and Escoffier. They were modern for their time; they are modern for ours. Barr's book is fascinating from beginning to end.-Dorie Greenspan, James Beard Award-winning author of Dorie's Cookies and Baking Chez Moi Like Barr tells the remarkable story of how César Ritz built a world-class hospitality empire, and his esteemed chef Escoffier, took fine dining to new heights. Ritz & Escoffier is an entertaining account of how they adapted to- and even changed-social customs, helping the world modernize, and leaving behind an impressive legacy.-David Lebovitz, New York Times bestselling author of L'appart and My Paris Kitchen A thrilling story of how an outsider-a Swiss peasant-instructed 19th century aristocrats, celebrities, politicians, and plutocrats how to live and, in doing so, single-handedly defined modern luxury. Luke Barr's incandescent narrative is as smooth and seductive as the service at the Ritz.-Kate Betts, author of My Paris Dream

Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London and Paris, the narrative explores the collaboration between renowned hotelier César Ritz and celebrated chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel. Their partnership revolutionized the luxury hotel and restaurant industry, creating a space where women and American Jews interacted with British high society. This dynamic marked a significant shift in social structures and highlighted the emergence of the middle class during a time of scandal and opulence.

Provence, 1970 is about a singular historic moment. In the winter of that year, more or less coincidentally, the iconic culinary figures James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Richard Olney, Simone Beck, and Judith Jones found themselves together in the South of France. They cooked and ate, talked and argued, about the future of food in America, the meaning of taste, and the limits of snobbery. Without quite realizing it, they were shaping today’s tastes and culture, the way we eat now. The conversations among this group were chronicled by M.F.K. Fisher in journals and letters—some of which were later discovered by Luke Barr, her great-nephew. In Provence, 1970, he captures this seminal season, set against a stunning backdrop in cinematic scope—complete with gossip, drama, and contemporary relevance.