Charles Elmé Francatelli (180510 August 1876) was a British chef, known for four cookery books popular in the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
, including ''
The Modern Cook
''The Modern Cook'' was the first cookery book by the Anglo-Italian cook Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805–1876). It was first published in 1846. It was popular for half a century in the Victorian era, running through 29 London editions by ...
''. He trained in Paris under
Antonin Carême and became one of London's best-known chefs, succeeding
Louis Eustache Ude
Louis Eustache Ude ( – 10 April 1846) was a French chef and writer who spent the majority of his culinary career in England. The best known French cook in Britain before Alexis Soyer, he was the author of an influential cookbook, ''The French C ...
at
Crockford's Club and following
Alexis Soyer
Alexis Benoît Soyer (4 February 1810 – 5 August 1858) was a French chef, writer and inventor, who made his reputation in Victorian England.
Born in north-east France, Soyer trained as a chef in Paris, and quickly built a career that was bro ...
at the
Reform Club
The Reform Club is a private members' club, owned and controlled by its members, on the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for ...
. In the early 1840s he was head chef to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
. In addition to cooking for the upper classes, Francatelli tried to help the poorer members of society to feed their families, and he published ''A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes'' in 1852, containing recipes with inexpensive ingredients.
Life and career
Francatelli was born in London in 1805, the son of Nicholas Francatelli, a steward; although of Italian descent, he regarded himself as an Englishman.
[Baker, Anne Pimlott]
Francatelli, Charles Elmé"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 He trained in Paris under
Antonin Carême, the founder of French
haute cuisine
''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is a style of cooking characterised by meticulous preparation, elaborate presentation, and the use of high quality ingredients. Typically prepared by highly skilled gourmet chefs, haute cuisine dish ...
, before returning to England.
[ French cuisine was becoming fashionable there and he was appointed chef de cuisine to the Earl of Chesterfield, after which he worked in the same capacity for the Earl of Dudley, Lord Kinnaird and Rowland Errington.][Smith, G. B]
"Francatelli, Charles Elmé"
''Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 1889
In 1838 Francatelli switched from aristocratic households to a gentlemen's club, Crockford's in St James's
St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...
, in succession to Louis Eustache Ude
Louis Eustache Ude ( – 10 April 1846) was a French chef and writer who spent the majority of his culinary career in England. The best known French cook in Britain before Alexis Soyer, he was the author of an influential cookbook, ''The French C ...
, as maître d'hotel.[Smythe, Colin]
"Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford’s, and the Royal Connection"
, Colin Smythe Limited, 2020 He left Crockford's to become chief cook to Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
from 9 March 1840. He had a staff of two "Yeomen of the Kitchen" – deputy chefs – and twenty-four subordinate cooks. That engagement lasted until 31 March 1842;[ accounts differ about his reason for leaving the Queen's service: one suggestion is that the royal family preferred "plain food", as opposed to the elaborate multi-course dinners he prepared;][Snodgrass, pp. 169–170] another is that he quarrelled violently with a senior member of the Queen's staff,[ a third is that he thought himself underpaid and hated the foul-smelling, ill-ventilated kitchens at ]Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
, which were in need of modernisation.
Francatelli published his first cookery book, ''The Modern Cook
''The Modern Cook'' was the first cookery book by the Anglo-Italian cook Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805–1876). It was first published in 1846. It was popular for half a century in the Victorian era, running through 29 London editions by ...
'', in 1846, announcing himself on the title page as "Pupil of the celebrated Carême and late Maître d'Hotel and Chief Cook to Her Majesty the Queen". In his preface he wrote:
The first edition was more than 500 pages long and contained recipes not only for English and French dishes but also for American, German, Indian and Italian ones. There were 23 further editions published during Francatelli's lifetime. His additions and revisions took the page-count to 560 in the edition published shortly after his death.
After leaving the royal service Francatelli returned to Crockfords and remained there until it closed on 1 January 1846. Later in that year he accepted the post of chef de cuisine at the new Coventry House Club in Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...
. He was noted for what one member called his "incomparable cuisine" there, but after one of the founders died and another went bankrupt and fled to France the club foundered and in March 1854 it closed.[ Following the example of another famous chef, ]Alexis Soyer
Alexis Benoît Soyer (4 February 1810 – 5 August 1858) was a French chef, writer and inventor, who made his reputation in Victorian England.
Born in north-east France, Soyer trained as a chef in Paris, and quickly built a career that was bro ...
, who had published ''The Poor Man's Regenerator'' in 1847, Francatelli brought out ''A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes'' in 1852.[ It contained recipes for economical dishes such as cow-heel broth, ox-cheek soup, sheep's pluck, and bullock's heart – stuffed or baked – as well as instructions for making large quantities of nourishing soups suitable for serving to the needy, using cheap offcuts of meat and, in coastal locations, inexpensive fish.
Francatelli moved to the ]Reform Club
The Reform Club is a private members' club, owned and controlled by its members, on the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for ...
in 1854. The head chef there from 1837 to 1850 had been Alexis Soyer, who set famously high standards, but Francatelli was considered by some to surpass his predecessor: ''The Morning Advertiser'' printed an article that stated, "Soyer is now replaced by Francatelli from the Coventry, incomparably his superior, and the most superior chef de cuisine now extant".[ Soyer and Francatelli, though rivals, maintained a cordial relationship, although Francatelli criticised Soyer's ''Modern Domestic Cookery'' in the preface to his third book, ''The Cook's Guide'' (1861).
After seven years at the Reform, ending when he quarrelled with the club's committee in 1861,][ Francatelli took charge of the kitchens of the St James's Hotel, at the corner of ]Berkeley Street
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...
and Piccadilly, from 1863 to 1870, and was concurrently chef de cuisine to the Prince and Princess of Wales at the nearby Marlborough House
Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion on The Mall in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It is adjacent to St James's Palace.
The ...
from early 1863 until at least late September 1866. From 1870 to 1876 he was manager of the Freemasons' Tavern
The Freemasons' Tavern was established in 1775 at 61–65 Great Queen Street in the West End of London, West End of London. It served as a meeting place for a variety of notable organisations from the 18th century until it was demolished in 1909 ...
.[
In August 1870 Francatelli married Elizabeth Cooke, daughter of William Cooke, a hotel keeper. He died on 10 August 1876 at 1 Cavendish Place, ]Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
, Sussex.[
]
Works
*''The Modern Cook
''The Modern Cook'' was the first cookery book by the Anglo-Italian cook Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805–1876). It was first published in 1846. It was popular for half a century in the Victorian era, running through 29 London editions by ...
'' (1846).[
*''A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes'' (1852).][
*''The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant'' (1861).][
*''The Royal English and Foreign Confectioner'' (1862).][
]
Reception
Reviewing ''The Cook's Guide'' in 1861, ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' called it "an admirable manual for every household where pleasure, health, and economy are consulted. He has imparted all that can be imparted of his personal excellence". The obituarist in ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' acknowledged that Francatelli taught "plain and cheap cookery to the middle and humble classes" but added that in his own cooking he was inclined to excessive lavishness and "truffled his dishes not wisely but too well". Nonetheless, the obituarist commented that Francatelli's death left a gap unlikely to be quickly or easily filled.
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in 1881 found Francatelli's literary style a touch pompous, but had no reservations about the content of his books: "We are forced to respect him as an artist. Francatelli was no make-shift: he had deeply studied his profession and with him cooking was the greatest of all the arts. With Francatelli you were quite safe did you invite the Queen, all the monarchs of Europe, with their respective Cabinets to dine with you. ... Francatelli's book is a culinary monument. It is delightful to look through his menus for every month in the year."
Elizabeth David
Elizabeth David ( Gwynne, 26 December 1913 – 22 May 1992) was a British cookery writer. In the mid-20th century she strongly influenced the revitalisation of home cookery in her native country and beyond with articles and books about Europea ...
, writing in 1985, describes Francatelli as "one of the most respected chefs in Britain"; Clarissa Dickson Wright
Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Johnston Dickson Wright (24 June 1947 – 15 March 2014) was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and former barrister. Sh ...
, calling Francatelli "the Italian confectioner", describes him as liking elaborate sugar decorations, making "pearls, birds and feathers out of sugar to decorate your dessert course", and comments that although such fiddly decoration may have looked good, she was not sure it did anything for the taste.
Henry Notaker in his 2017 ''A History of Cookbooks'' writes that Francatelli adopted a different tone depending on his target audience. In ''The Modern Cook'', aimed at an upper-class readership, his instructions are phrased more ceremoniously than those in ''Plain Cookery for the Working Classes'', where, in Notaker's view, he adopted "a more direct and slightly patronizing voice". Notaker also comments that Francatelli, unusually for the time, addresses his readers directly, mentioning himself, as in "this is the way I recommend that it be cooked".
In a 2006 biographical essay on Francatelli, Mary Ellen Snodgrass calls him "Victorian England’s most famous chef ... able to commiserate with the struggles of the poor to feed their families".[ ]William Sitwell
William Ronald Sacheverell Sitwell (born 2 October 1969) is a member of the British Sitwell family. He is an editor, writer and broadcaster, restaurant critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and former editor of '' Waitrose Food''.
Early life ...
, writing for ''The Daily Telegraph'' in May 2024, referred to ''A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes'' as "the most revolting cookbook of all time".
Notes, references and sources
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
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Online version of Francatelli`s The Cook`s Guide and Housekeeper`s & Butler`s Assistant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francatelli, Charles Elme
1805 births
1876 deaths
English cookbook writers
English male chefs
English people of Italian descent
Queen Victoria
Writers from London