François Vatel

Biography

Vatel was born either in Switzerland or in Paris in 1625, 1631, or 1635. He is widely, but incorrectly, credited with creating crème Chantilly (Chantilly cream), a sweet, vanilla-flavored whipped cream.

Vatel worked for Louis XIV's superintendent Nicolas Fouquet, and supervised the construction of the Vaux-le-Vicomte, a job that required financial management of large sums of money as well as the design of the menus and the supervision of staff. He was known for "the meticulous care with which he reviewed every minute detail".

Vatel was responsible for an extravagant banquet for 2,000 people on 24 April 1671 at the Château de Chantilly, on the occasion of Louis XIV's first visit to the Grand Condé. Vatel was so distraught about the lateness of the seafood delivery that he ran himself through with his sword (as the seafood was arriving), according to a letter by Madame de Sévigné.

This incident is thought to be the origin of the idiom "died for want of lobster sauce", a phrase meaning to die or be devastated due to "some trifling disappointment, pique, or wounded vanity".

In popular culture

• Vatel was depicted in an eponymous 2000 film directed by Roland Joffé, in which he was portrayed by Gérard Depardieu.

References

References

1. "Francois Vatel".
2. Young, Carolin C.. (2002). "Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver: Stories of Dinner as a Work of Art". Simon and Schuster.
3. Mansel, Philip. (2020). "King of the World: The Life of Louis XIV". University of Chicago Press.
4. Harrison, James A.. (1899). "Letters of Madame de Sévigné".
5. Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham. "Dictionary of Phrase & Fable".
6. Miller, Jacques-Alain. (2006). "Jacques Lacan and the Other Side of Psychoanalysis: Reflections on Seminar XVII". Duke University Press.