The First Food Critic
Prior to becoming a full time keyboard-warrior-food-historian, I gained my food knowledge through a more traditional medium: Hospitality School. One of the first teachings was
"For the love of god, if you go out for dinner don't focus too much on what's going wrong or what can be better"
They said this so that you, the people you are with and the restaurant stay sane. Often people that are new to the hospitality industry have a bit of chip on their shoulder. They think they know everything and what can be better.
Because let's be real. What easier than sitting down taking a sip of your wine and commanding the workforce. Nowadays when you open a newspaper you will a small section where a food critic give a score to a restaurant and will you all the ups and downs of the restaurant. Even to a greater extent, you have chefs fighting over the approval of a food critic like with Michelin Star Guide or World's 50's Best.
But when did this all start? Who was the first that started critiquing food, experiences and the establishments that provided them
For that answer we have to look no further than
Alexandre Balthasar Laurent Grimod de la Reynière
Who?
Let's call him Grimod for the sake of your reading and my fingers. Grimod was born in 1758 in Paris, France, he came from a wealthy family. They had a beautiful house which looked out on marvelous bosquets of the Champs-Elysee. Unfortunately Grimod was born with deformed hands and was often kept out of sight of visitors. This made him develop a icy wit and dark sense of humour. Grimod, an avid student of the theatre and drama began working for the publication Journal des théâtres, where he would give theatre reviews under the name of Le Censeur Dramatique.
The pig at the head
During his parents absence, he would host the most extravagant dinner parties in Paris, at his family's hotel: Hôtel Grimod de La Reynière. While the cat’s away, the mice will play and so the cat (his father) unexpectedly returned from a trip. To find himself coming home to a dinner party at his own home and with his own eyes he can see that there is a live pig sitting in his chair.
Banished
The story quickly made the rounds in Paris as his father was seething. He disinherited him and sent him to an abbey close to Nancy. Where he learned manners and a breach with the family ensued, which culminated in a lettre de cachet that disinherited him and confined him to an abbey close to Nancy, where at the table of the father abbot he began to learn the art of good eating.
Entrepreneurial spirit
Since he was disinherited, he had little to no money to support himself. So he came up with an idea of buying food directly from the producer and selling it in a store at a set price. He opened a shop in Lyon selling groceries, tools and other exotic commodities.
Death of the father
On the death of his father, he returned to Paris .He reconciled with his mother, who was saved from the guillotine through his connections, and began a series of mock-funeral dinners. He became the "best host in France", he continued to celebrate succulent and eccentric banquets and continued with his jokes and ironic presentations that were not always to the liking of his guests.
He changed the way dinner tables were set. Instead of the Russian way of bringing every out to the table at once, he adopted for the course-like method., erving each plate by the course.
It changes the way of serving meals, banishes the "French" system in which everything that was going to be eaten was taken out at once and imposes "the Russian" that staggered dishes are served and the service is changed with Each plate.
The Funeral Invitation
Grimod thought of different ways to expand his reputation as the "best host in France". So he sent out funeral notices to his best acquaintances that were well versed in the gastronomic language. Despite the slightly odd invitation, they all showed up. This group of twelve became known as the "Tasting Jury" specialising in everything from preservers, cheeses, wines, spirits and cold cuts. It became a big success and they were meeting every 2 weeks.
The Process
The process was as follows; they would order a restaurant to cook for them. The Tasting Jury rated it and if they passed they receive a "Certificate of Legitimacy". This jury soon became famous, causing food-related establishments to strive to compete with each other and obtain favourable ratings, which were at the same time a great advertisement for their products.
Grimod. the Secretary of the Society, drew up and signed the certificates himself, thus achieving great fame and power. This gave rise to the famous publication Almanach des Gourmands, the predecessor of today's "Michelin Guide". The eight volumes of the Almanach became the bible of quality gastronomy. If you wish to obtain the Grimod's magnum opus, you can buy Almanach des Gourmands as a collectible
The Rise of Grimod
Grimod went from being the outcast of the family, to the family's most iconic character. He went through hardship to one of the most important people for the modern French society
French historian Pascal Ory considers Alexandre Grimod to be "one of the founders of the modern French culture," grouping him with the Comte de Saint-Simon and Alexis de Tocqueville. He "reestablished order, hierarchy, and distinctions in the realm of good taste" through the publication of texts that helped to define the French food scene.
While others at the time were focused more on art, literature and drama, Grimod opened the door to criticism of food and cookery, There was literature about food and eating before Grimod, but it was concerned only with technical aspects and recipes, while Grimod introduced the idea of food criticism