author
A. B. (Antoine B.) Beauvilliers
1754–1817
A pioneer of Paris dining, this influential restaurateur helped define the idea of the elegant modern restaurant. His famous cookbook, L'Art du Cuisinier, carried that vision into print and helped shape French culinary culture.
1 Audiobook
L'Art du Cuisinier, Volume 1
by A. B. (Antoine B.) Beauvilliers
About the author
Born in Paris in 1754, Antoine Beauvilliers became one of the key figures in the early history of restaurants. He is widely credited with opening one of the first grand restaurants in Paris, La Grande Taverne de Londres, where refined rooms, polished service, a strong wine cellar, and ambitious cooking were all part of the experience.
Beauvilliers had previously served the Count of Provence, the future Louis XVIII, and he brought courtly standards of hospitality into public dining. That combination of formality and pleasure made his establishment famous and helped set the pattern for the high-end restaurant as people now recognize it.
In 1814 he published L'Art du Cuisinier, an important cookbook that became a respected guide to French culinary practice. He died on January 31, 1817, but his reputation lasted well beyond his lifetime because he helped turn eating out into an art as well as a business.