Pellaprat, Henri-Paul, 1869-1949

Henri-Paul Pellaprat (pronounced [ɑ̃ʁi pɔl pɛlapʁa]; Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, 1869–1954) was a French chef, founder with the journalist Marthe Distel of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. He was the author of La cuisine familiale et pratique and other classic French cookery texts. He worked from the age of twelve as a pastry boy and then cooked at many of the most famous restaurants of La Belle Époque Paris such as the Maison Dorée. He taught at l’École du Cordon bleu for 32 years; his students including Maurice Edmond Sailland, later known as Curnonsky, and Raymond Oliver. In 1966, after his death, his book L'Art Culinaire Moderne was translated into English and published for the American market under the name Modern French Culinary Art. It contained 2030 recipes and many color photos, covering everything from everyday casual French cooking to haute cuisine. Discussing this translation, the New York Times wrote, "one could not hardly ask for a better or more sumptuous one", adding that this book "demonstrates once again that cooking can be among the higher arts."