I Catered Napoleon's Wedding: Carême, the First Celebrity Chef

I Catered Napoleon's Wedding: Carême, the First Celebrity Chef

September 4, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

This episode explores the life of Marie-Antoine Carême, the first celebrity chef, and features a discussion with chef Enrique Olvera.

He cooked for the czar of Russia and the Rothschilds, and even made Napoleon Bonaparte's wedding cake. He invented the chef’s hat and published the first recipes for soufflé and meringue, but you’ve probably never heard his name. This week, it’s the story of the world’s first celebrity chef: Marie-Antoine Carême. Plus, we’re joined by one of today’s best chefs, Enrique Olvera; Kenji López-Alt returns with a brand-new way to fry an egg; we make Indonesian Beef and Sweet Soy Sate; and Chris and Sara take your calls and tell us how to organize handwritten recipes, why we season everything with pepper, and much more. Get this week’s recipe for Indonesian Beef and Sweet Soy Sate here . Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris, Sara

Guest: Enrique Olvera

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Milk Street Radio, Rothschilds

Places: Russia

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