Alexis Soyer

Alexis Benoît Soyer , born on February 4th, 1809 with Meaux and dead on August 5th, 1858 with London, is a Cuisinier French.

Initially intended for the priesthood, it is made return at the 11 years age to have unduly sounded the alarm bell, Alexis Soyer between as apprentice in his brother who was cook at the restaurant Grignon . At the 17 years age, it joined the Boulevard of the Italians of which he will become the chef. At 21 years, he becomes second cook of the prince Polignac with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

With the Revolution of July 1830, it leaves the France for London where it integrates, the following year, the house of the duke of Cambridge. He works then for several other British aristocrats like the duke of Sutherland, the marquis de Waterford, William Lloyd off Aston Hall and the marquis d' Ailsa with Isleworth. In 1837, he becomes chef to the Reform Club of London of which he renovates the kitchens, which enables him to make there many innovations whose pin moults with the vapor, of the cooled “refrigerators” with frozen running water and of the furnaces at adjustable temperature. Such was the fame of the kitchens of the Reform Club that it was made of them organized visits directed by Soyer in person covered its famous behavior: red velvet hat and clothing “with the zoug-zoug”, i.e. crossed in bevel. June 28th 1838, it prepares a breakfast there for: 2000 people at the time of the crowning of the Queen Victoria.

Become the most famous cook of London, it is devoted, following death in layers of his wife, the actress Emma Jones, in 1842, with charity works. At the time of the famine caused in Ireland by the disease of potatoes, it is named in April 1847 to go to Dublin to open a kitchen selling of soup and the meat at reduced price. It also designs, on this occasion, a model of Soup kitchen and written Soyer' S Charitable Cookery ( kitchen charitable of Silk ) of which it transfers the profits with various organizations of charity.

In 1849, it launches its “magic furnace” which makes it possible to people to make cook their food on the table, a “magic” coffee machine and a machine to cook eggs. In May 1850, it leaves the Reform Club to offer a French restaurant to Kensington during the Grande Exposure , undertaken which shows a failure; it is there that the “cocktails” for the first time at London appeared.

Alexis Soyer is the author of a great number of works of kitchen in English, whose has Shilling Cookery for the People , in 1855, of which it is sold: 110000 specimens in the 4 months space, intended for the common people whom cannot allow refined kitchen utensils or great quantities of elaborate ingredients; some of its receipts, such as the Irish stew (Irish ragout), still have course at the present time.

During the Crimean War of 1855, it joined the troops with its expenses like advising in military kitchen. It reorganizes, with Florence Nightingale the provisioning of the military hospitals and starts to cook for the 4th division of infantry, inventing her own bivouacs and recommending the cookies containing vegetables to prevent the Scorbut. Gone back to London, it gives conferences to the military authorities in March 1858 on the military kitchen. The measures taken following its recommendations will have course in the British army until in 1935. It also built a model kitchen in the barracks of Wellington in London. He dies whereas he tried to help Florence Nightingale to reform the food of the British army.

He is the creator of the Sauce in Reform and of the chops of sheep in Reform . He also marketed the sauce Soyer , the nectar Soyer , the Ozmazone and the Soyer' S relish .

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