THE MORNING LIST
In our selection, the novelist Valérie Paturaud retraces the fabulous destiny of Andrée Imbert (1907-1999), who went from her restaurant in Drôme to the kitchens of one of the most illustrious families in the United States. Chef Hanane Abdelli and her mother Anissa transcribe Algerian recipes in writing that are in danger of being forgotten. Chef Fred Ménager tells the story of the genesis of his peasant cuisine shaped in the Burgundy farmhouse inn, where he has been based for over twenty years. Finally, a collective of Anglo-Saxon authors pays tribute to the lemon, king of citrus fruits.
At the Kennedy table, a taste of Provence in America
By chance, during a meal with friends, Valérie Paturaud hears about the existence of a mysterious French cook who spent more than twenty years in the service of the Kennedy clan. Piqued by curiosity, the novelist delves into the archives and discovers the identity of Andrée Imbert (1907-1999): a child of public assistance who, thanks to her culinary talents, was brought to live the daily life of one of the most famous and influential American families of the 20th century.e century.
The writer decides to make Andrée the heroine of her novel: The Kennedy Cookrecently published by Les Escales. In this long-running story, inspired by true events and told with many details and anecdotes, we follow the gourmet epic of Andrée Imbert, spanning two continents. From the opening of her first restaurant in a small village in the Drôme, at the end of the 1920s, through her years of service as a domestic employee for famous people (Albert Camus, the Berliet and Gallimard families), to her impromptu departure for the United States.
By chance, she was then hired, from 1955, to run the kitchens of the Kennedy Compound, the luxurious family residence of the Kennedys, in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Thanks to the rich correspondence maintained by Andrée Imbert and her daughter, and based on the work of many biographers, Valérie Paturaud manages to lift the veil on the intimacy of the home of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.
Behind the scenes, in small slices of ordinary life, we witness the political rise of John F. Kennedy (35e President of the United States) and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy (Senator of New York State), before experiencing, from the inside, the internal turmoil caused by their tragic assassinations. We then follow Andrée Imbert in the kitchen: when she strives to convert her guests to the flavors of French cuisine, when she prepares birthday cakes or imagines refined gala menus.
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