Gaston Lenotre

1362 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on the culture of french food

In the beginning of the twentieth century, refined French cookery was widely known as "grande cuisine"; it was a form of food preparation centered around rich and filling meals laden with heavy dairy products and thick sauces (Braux 35). However, around the 1970s, an innovative group of like-minded chefs came together to reform and lighten French cuisine (Braux 35). Chefs such as Michel Guerard, Paul Bocuse, and Gaston Lenotre followed in the footsteps of Fernand Point to develop and popularize a new form of cookery, nouvelle cuisine (Braux 35).
The case of Gaston Lenotre is truly unique in that he set out to lighten and freshen pastries that the French had come to know and love. Throughout his working life, Lenotre devoted his energies to utilizing the freshest and highest quality of ingredients to form flavorful and yet simple dishes for the often thousands of guests that he would serve on a daily basis (Jaine). His commitment to excellence paid off and, since his death in 2009, he has been called everything from a "god of desserts" to a "pastry genius" by his former colleagues and students (Strzemien).
Gaston Lenotre was born in May of 1920 on a small farm in Normandy, France (Jaine). Both of his parents were former Parisian cooks and his upbringing and surroundings throughout his childhood certainly influenced his path to culinary success (Jaine). In 1932 at the age of twelve, Lenotre made his first dessert; it was a rice pudding that would spark his interest in pastry and lead him to the decision to make a career out of it (G. Lenotre 7). A year after making that rice pudding, Lenotre's father became ill and he was forced into finding a real profession in pastry, which he decisively chose over cabinetmaking (G. Lenotre 7)...

... middle of paper ...

...nder Pressure." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 14 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Jaine, Tom. "Gaston Lenôtre." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
Lenotre, Alain. "Lenotre Family History." LeNotre Family History. Culinary Institute Lenotre, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
Lenôtre, Gaston. Lenôtre's Desserts and Pastries. Woodbury, NY: Barron's, 1977. Print.
Levy, Paul. "Gaston Lenotre: Pastry Chef Who Brought Patisserie into the Modern Age." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 15 Jan. 2009. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
"Microwave Oven History." Idea Finder. The Great Idea Finder, 15 Aug. 2005. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
"Shelf Safe Milk." What Is ? Tetra Pak Inc., 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
Strzemien, Anya. "French "Pastry Genius" Gaston Lenotre Dies At 88." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Jan. 2009. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Louis Riel

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were many occasions in history wherein the French and English Canadians have clashed but the first major historical event to tear the relationship into pieces was the Northwest Rebellion. The French Canadians regarded the Northwest Rebellion a noble cause and Louis Riel a hero who stood up to protect the rights of the French-speaking Métis. The English saw the rebellion as a threat to Canada's sovereignty and Riel as a traitor.

    Read More

  • The Best Leader of The 20th Century in The Province of Quebec: René Lévesque

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vacante, Jeffery. 2011. "The Posthumous Lives of René Lévesque." Journal Of Canadian Studies 45, no. 2: 5-30. Accessed February 25, 2014. EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier.

    Read More

  • Marie de France’s Lanval and Laustic

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    De France, Marie. Lanval. Trans. Judith P. Shoaf. N.p.: n.p., 2005. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

    Read More

  • Frank Capra: Life and Times

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Frank Capra at the BFI - Review." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 04 May 2014

    Read More

  • Why did Fanon Argue for a Violent Struggle Against Colonialism?

    1845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Frantz Fanon was born on July 20th 1925 in Fort-de-France, Martinique. His biographer, Alice Cherki (2000) wrote that being part of the middle-class, his childhood was relatively happy and privileged but things changed when French naval troops where blockaded in Martinique after the invasion of Nazis in France. Indeed inhabitants experienced a violent racism and the scorn of the sailors towards natives. It is the first negative experienc...

    Read More

  • Norbert Rillieux

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Norbert Rillieux was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 17, 1806. His mother, Constance Vivant was a freed slave from New Orleans, and his father, Vincent Rillieux, was a inventor and engineer. Vincent invented the steam-operated cotton baling press. Norbert's academic talents were seen at an early age by his father, and was sent to Paris to be educated.

    Read More

  • Fast Food Nation Summary

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout this chapter Schlosser takes his reader through the journey of the french fry from spud to stomach. Schlosser uses his talents to educate the world about the ins and outs of the processed food and flavor industry, informing the fast food nation, “Why the fries Taste Good.”

    Read More

  • The Chemical and Psychological Effects of Chocolate

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Food: The History of Chocolate." Birmingham Post 11 Dec. 2004, First ed., Features sec.: 46. Print

    Read More

  • George Auguste Escoffier, The Great French Chef

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    He trained in his Uncle François’ restaurant, Le Restaurant François in Nice. Here he learned the basics of French cuisine and tried to take in as much knowledge as he could as an adolescent. Restaurant François attracted the very wealthy from near and far, “rich invalids and they brought friends.” A particular group of Russian naval officers often wintered in the Villenfranche harbor and dined at the restaurant (James 4). Chef François preferred to serve the food that would best relate to his customers. For example, whenever the Russian officers dined, he tried to incorporate an aspect of Russian cuisine into the menu (James 5). This principle of catering to the customer became very prominent in Escoffier’s

    Read More

  • Problems Pierre LEnfant Encountered in Building Washington D.C.

    1350 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caemmerer, H. Paul. The Life of Pierre Charles L'Enfant. New York: Da Capo Press, 1950.

    Read More

  • Culinary Career Essay

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    My childhood was impacted early on from my father’s career in the Army which meant moving often and one of my favorite places we lived in was Belgium. We lived in Europe for many years and we not only lived but traveled as well all over Europe. I spent my childhood at times watching behind the counter at food stalls as cooks made fresh real Belgium waffles and crepes with chocolate Nutella and powdered sugar. When my brother and I were good we would eat the fries that the Belgium’s were famous for located in small shops everywhere.

    Read More

  • Auguste Escoffier

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... the international elite. In his life time Escoffier created approximately 10,000 recipes, some of the most famous were concocted in the kitchen of the Savory Hotel. One might recognize such names as "Filets de sole Coquelin", "Supremes de volaille Jeannette", and the most famous of all "Peche Melba". In 1897 when Ritz creates his own development company and leaves the Savory because of disagreements with the owners, Escoffier and the other managers follow.

    Read More

  • Le Corbusier

    2769 Words  | 6 Pages

    Charles-Edouard Jeanneret is an internationally known influential Swiss architect and city planner, whose designs combine the functionalism of the modern movement with a bold, sculptural expressionism. He belonged to the first generation of the so-called International school of architecture and was their most able propagandist in his numerous writings. In his architecture he joined the functionalist aspirations of his generation with a strong sense of expressionism. He was the first architect to make a studied use of rough-cast concrete, a technique that satisfied his taste for asceticism and for sculptural forms.

    Read More

  • Hundred Foot Journey Analysis

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie “The Hundred Foot Journey” is a great representation of different cultures interacting as well as the different food habits. The movie is based on an Indian family who moves to Italy and wants to open an Indian restaurant across street from a famous Italian restaurant in the small town. The Kadam family wants to bring the Indian cuisine to a new culture and share some of their values. They have trouble expanding their culinary delights to the public because Marquerite the sous-chef doesn’t want any competition. Throughout the movie, secrets on certain dishes are shared and tricks to improve the certain style of food is greatly appreciated by both restaurant chefs.

    Read More

  • Food And Drink In World History Essay

    1672 Words  | 4 Pages

    - Food: The History of Taste, Paul Freedman, Chapter Six: New Worlds, New Tastes, (pgs. 197-232), and Chapter Seven: The Birth of the Modern Consumer Age, (pgs. 263-300), and Chapter Nine: Dining Out (pgs. 301-332)

    Read More

More about Gaston Lenotre

Open Document