The Secret History of French Cooking: The Outlaw Chefs Who Made Food Modern

From the New York Times bestselling author of Provence, 1970, a lively, dramatic account of the rise of French “nouvelle cuisine,” and the renegade chefs of the 1960s and 70s 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 techniques they pioneered-- fresh food, globally inspired ingredients, shorter cooking times, and avant-garde methods-- both shocked and inspired the restaurants of the day.

The book also tells the largely unknown story of a group of women chefs, including Simone Lemaire, Christiane Massia, and Olympe Nahmias, who fought for recognition in the all-male culinary establishment of the 1970s, and the villainous, all-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 way we eat today.

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.