New drama focuses on Antonin Carême, history’s first superstar chef
Legendary French chef Antonin Carême was a fascinating character. Abandoned as a child, the Parisian rose from obscurity to become head chef for French stateman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, serving both Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon. Known as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings,” he introduced the toque hat we all now associate with chefs, in addition to inventing French staples like the choux pastry, vol-au-vents, profiteroles and mille-feuilles.
The new Apple TV+ series Carême goes beyond the man’s culinary achievements to show viewers a spy, a lover and a bit of a bad boy. “What I liked was the director’s decision to inject a bit of freshness and fantasy into this, and in my case, being able to put a bit of Mick Jagger or Lenny Kravitz into my character,” says Benjamin Voisin, who plays the sexy young chef. “I found it pretty exciting.”
Based on the book Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême — The First Celebrity Chef, by British historian and actor Ian Kelly, the series was penned by Kelly and Italian screenwriter Davide Serino, before it was literally translated to screen by French director Martin Bourboulon (Eiffel, The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan and Milady). “My role was, as artistic producer, to make sure that the vision was the same for everyone,” he says. “I knew we really wanted to have an epic and ambitious show, while trying to avoid the usual period drama style, bringing to Carême’s character and the show a bit of a modern twist and a rock ’n’ roll attitude.”
Although set in the early 1800s, it was important that the action onscreen never felt at arm’s length, as period dramas occasionally do. “It’s sex, food and politics,” says Bourboulon. “I’d never seen a period show before with these catchy taglines. And when I met Benjamin for the first time, I immediately knew that he will be our Carême, because of his rock ’n’ roll attitude in the real life. Then we worked with Pierre-Jean Larroque, the costume designer, to bring a modern twist to the costumes, like the earrings.” Even the dialogue is more contemporary than usual. “There’s usually a distance between the audience and the main characters when they speak very formally,” says Bourboulon. “In this show, the sentences are shorter than maybe they were in this period, and it feels more contemporary.”
The political period is a fascinating one, just prior to Napoleon’s introduction of the Constitution of the Year VIII, which made him the first Consul of France. There is still a rampant resistance and scheming royalists present in French society. “A reason why I enjoyed working on this show is because we can teach the audience some very important facts about French history,” says Bourboulon. “Napoleon is well known all over the world, but it’s quite exciting to give the audience the opportunity to discover this Napoleonic period through the point of view of a young man like Carême.”
The series also follows those in the chef’s orbit, including lady in waiting Henriette, played by Lyna Khoudri, who at first presents primarily as Carême’s love interest. “She’s not just a pretty sidekick,” says Khoudri. “She helps him in different circumstances and there’s a mutual respect between the two of them.” Working with Carême in the kitchen is Agathe, played by Alice Da Luz, an equally competent chef whose work allows her boss to shine. “Agathe is a very ambitious woman. She wants to be the best — she actually knows that she’s the best,” says Da Luz. “She operates in a totally male-dominated world, but she wants to achieve her ambitions and she’s not afraid of doing it. And Carême helps her discover who she is and what is hidden in her.”
Unlike the female characters, who were created for the series, Belgian actor Jérémie Renier plays Napoleon’s well-known chief diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord. “I was playing a real character who actually existed in French history, so I wanted to make sure that he was as credible as possible. But at the same time, I didn’t want to depict him as just a dusty historical character in one of those old salons. I really wanted to make him as contemporary as possible,” says Renier. “I actually enjoyed doing that, as he fluctuates between being evil and virtually a pop icon.”
It all blends together into a juicy drama that will open the audience up to the behind-the-scenes scheming of the French ruling class. “The interesting thing is telling the big story through a small story,” says Khoudry. “People know Napoleon and the historical moves of the period, but we tell this story through the prism of big dinner tables with splendid food, with people as instruments who serve a political purpose. It was Napoleon’s idea, but also Talleyrand and Carême were involved in turning food into a political instrument. So, you have these people gathered round a table, making momentous decisions that will make history.”
Carême, streaming Wednesday, May 21, on Apple TV+