At the beginning of the 20th century, French cooking gained supremacy throughout the world. The chefs reigned supreme in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, the winter palace of St. Petersburg and the the best hotels in the world. Paris became the Mecca of gastronomy. French cooking has also been introduced to and influenced by, other culinary traditions. The great classics of European cuisine were incorporated early on, but the Frenchman is now discovering Chinese, Indian and Scandinavian cookery.
Some of the most famous chefs that came from France are Urbain Dubois, Auguste Bernard, Escoffier, and Bignon. I am willing to wager that these people were hard to get along with and probably keep their comis chained to a station, in the kitchen.
