Escoffier On Line

Chef Prosper Montagne is probably best known for writing the great culinary work: ‘Larousse Gastronomique’: a colossal volume of the A – Z of the kitchen; with references to items such as famous culinary people/chefs, ingredients, classical dishes and garnishes. This classic was written with the assistance of a Dr. Gottschalk; the first edition being published in 1938 and prefaced by both Chef Auguste Escoffier and Chef Phileas Gilbert

But who was Chef Montagne?

Fernand Point
by Chef Jos Wellman

Throughout his 57 years of living, [[Fernand Point]] enjoyed life immensly. He was 25 years of age when he went to Vienna and had already spent the better part of his youthful years in the kitchen. He worked with his father Auguste Point, who ran a small buffet restaurant in the railroad station in the Louhans. It was here that his mother and grandmother, both excellent cordons bleu cooks, first introduced him to cooking as a small boy. (Cordon bleus is a french term literally translated as "blue ribbon." It refers originally to an award given to women chefs for culinary excellence)As far as Auguste Point was concerned his son's talents extended far beyond the little kitchen of the station restaurant. The railway's refusal to place the restaurant on its list of officially recognized establishments in 1922 provided Auguste Point with the impetus he needed. He decided to go to Lyon.

Catherine de Medicis
by Chef Jos Wellman

[[Catherine de Medicis]], b. Florence, Apr. 13, 1519, was the mother of the last Valois kings of France and guardian of the royal authority in the Wars of Religion. Her parents died soon after her birth, and she was brought up by her MEDICI relatives during a period when their rule in Florence was marked by violence and intrigue. In 1533 she went to France as the bride of the future king HENRY II, who became heir apparent in 1536 and king in 1547. Until her husband's death in 1559 she endured the domination of his mistress, DIANE DE POITIERS. Seven of Catherine's children survived infancy, and three of her sons were successively kings of France as FRANCIS II, Charles IX, and HENRY III.