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The Arts Intel Report

Carême

Benjamin Voisin in Carême.

“Chef. Spy. Lover.” That’s how the trailer introduces the protagonist of Apple TV+’s Carême. Not exactly in line with the French term—Carême—for Lent. This is the seductive, dramatic story of Antonin Carême, the world’s first celebrity chef. He has risen from poverty in post-Revolutionary Paris to the inner circles of Napoleon’s court, where he doesn’t just cook but spies. “Were motorcycles a thing in 1803, he would have a motorcycle,” writes Margaret Lyons in The New York Times, describing the character played by Benjamin Voisin. An adaptation of Ian Kelly’s 2003 book Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême, the First Celebrity Chef, the series is sexy, high-stakes, and just historical enough. Some have said it’s where Downton Abbey meets The Bear—an intriguing combination. —Jeanne Malle

Photo: Courtesy of Apple TV+