Ruth Brandon.
RUTH BRANDON: alexis soyer biography
THE people’s chef: alexis soyer, a life in seven courses (2005)
Alexis Soyer (1810 – 1858) was a French chef, writer and inventor, who made his reputation in Victorian England. Soyer trained as a chef in Paris, and built a career that was brought to a halt by the July Revolution of 1830. Moving to England he worked in the kitchens of royalty and the landed gentry until 1837. He was then appointed head chef of the Reform Club in London, where he designed the kitchens on radical modern lines and became celebrated for the range and excellence of his cooking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruth Brandon started her career as a trainee producer with the BBC , where she worked on the Tonight current affairs programme. She then became a professional author, and has published numerous non-fiction and fiction books. Several are biographies, the subjects including the magician Henry Houdini the chef Alexis Soyer, and the sewing machine entrepreneur Isaac Singer.
