Development of the Food Service Industry

Renaissance  A.D  Presented opportunities to use flavors from herbs and spices to enhance foods  Herbs were readily available but spices were not

Spices  Spices were used to show off wealth  Noblemen instructed their cooks to use large amounts in their foods  Venice had a monopoly on the spice trade

The New World  As a desire to breakup Venice’s monopoly, people started searching other places  It was believed that India had a vast amount of spices  Christopher Columbus discovered America in route to India

Haute Cuisine  Prior to the Renaissance, eating was a very messy chore  King Henry II of France married Catherine de Medici  Catherine was originally from Italy were higher levels of eating were just beginning.  In 1533, she introduced the fork to the French and this began France’s haute cuisine style.

Coffee  International trade improved  Coffee was one of the items being imported and quickly became popular  Coffee houses began opening up in all major cities  The first was opened in 1650 in Oxford, England

Public Eating Facilities  The coffee houses or cafes were unlike the dark taverns or pubs people were used to.  Soon, bakers began offering pastries and other goodies in these establishments  This was the first time people ate in public

Boulanger, 1765  Began selling soups in his café Soups were called restoratives because they were believed to “restore” the body Soups were called restoratives because they were believed to “restore” the body  He called his café “Restorante”  This is where the origin of our modern word “restaurant”

The French Revolution  The aristocratic household fell  Many cooks found themselves out of work  So like Boulanger, they began opening up their own cafes and restaurants  Within 30 years, Paris had over 500 restaurants

The Art of Professional Chefs  The term chef is a mark of respect and distinction  It is a professional cook who has reached that position through hard work and dedication

Careme  Prior to this point, few restaurants focused on serving a grand cuisine Elaborate meals with many courses intricately prepared Elaborate meals with many courses intricately prepared  Marie-Antoine Careme perfected the art of grand cuisine  He learned the basics of cooking in a small restaurant and developed a reputation of excellence over years of experience

Escoffier  Refined Careme’s grand cuisine into what Escoffier called Classical Cuisine simplified cuisine using fewer ingredients and flavors simplified cuisine using fewer ingredients and flavors  Established rules of conduct and professional dress for chefs  Created the Kitchen Brigade System A system of organization that assigns certain responsibilities to kitchen staff A system of organization that assigns certain responsibilities to kitchen staff

Julia Child,  Attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris while her husband work for the Embassy  Co-wrote the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking along with many others  Video Video