Carême serves up passion and politics with a dash of espionage and a generous helping of haute cuisine, as the story of the world’s first celebrity chef is reimagined in a sizzling period drama set in post-revolutionary France.
Inspired by Ian Kelly’s biography, Cooking for Kings, the eight-part series launches on Apple TV Plus and follows apprentice chef Antonin Carême from his modest beginnings in Paris to culinary stardom during Napoleon’s Europe.
Here’s everything we know about the French drama, including our exclusive interviews with Benjamin Voisin and Lyna Khoudri, who play Antonin Carême and his mysterious lover, Henriette…
Carême release date
Carême launches on Apple TV Plus with the first two episodes on Wednesday, April 30. Episodes will be released weekly thereafter.
Carême trailer
Feast your eyes on the racy trailer here!
Carême plot
Tuck into the delectable story of the world's first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, who revolutionised French cuisine in the 19th Century.
Directed by Martin Bourboulon (The Three Musketeers: D’artagnan), the series follows suave, seductive apprentice cook Carême (Lost Illusions’ Benjamin Voisin) from his humble origins in his adoptive father Bailly’s (Ronin’s Vincent Schmitt) Parisian pâtisserie to become a culinary rock star in Napoléon’s Europe.
Carême’s journey to fame begins when he’s called upon to save Napoléon’s life and rewarded by being appointed his personal chef. But when Carême’s culinary skills catch the eye of influential politicians, including Machiavellian diplomat Talleyrand (My Way’s Jérémie Renier), he’s enlisted as a spy for France and forced to choose between duty, fame and revenge.
“I didn’t know much about Carême so I did a lot of research,” Benjamin tells What to Watch via video link from Paris. “He’s credited with popularising the chef’s toque and the sequencing of starters, mains and desserts. We also see his legacy in the magnificent croquembouche wedding cake.
“I play him as a young cook recruited to create beautiful dinners for Napoléon, who uses food as a ‘softener’ during his political talks. It’s an exciting ride, from the madness of the kitchen to presenting dishes to dignitaries, and it’ll make you hungry!”
The cast of Carême
Lyna Khoudri (Papicha) also stars as Carême's enigmatic girlfriend, Henriette, while Alice Da Luz (Hanami) plays his protégée, Agathe, Franck Molinaro (At Eternity’s Gate) is Napoléon Bonaparte and Maud Wyler (The Path of Excellence) is his iconic wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais.
Rounding out the cast are Sigrid Bouaziz (Personal Shopper) as French noblewoman Catherine Grand, Micha Lescot (Forever Young) as the menacing Minister of Police, Fouché, and Juliette Armanet as writer and intellectual Madame de Staël.
Carême: Blending fact and fiction
Known as “the chef of kings and the king of chefs,” Antonin Carême (1784-1833) was legendary for his grand culinary feats, such as preparing 120 unique dishes for a single banquet hosted by King George IV, making Napoleon’s wedding cake, cooking for the Tsar of Russia, Alexander I, in St Petersburg and producing soufflés flecked with real gold for the Rothschild family in Paris. He also wrote a 1,680-page, five-volume masterpiece on French culinary arts.
But while rooted in history, the series does take some creative liberties with historical fact and portrays Carême as a spy, a role Benjamin says his character must "learn on the job". However, Benjamin’s co-star, Lyna, reveals that almost every character has some sort of "hidden agenda".
“Over the course of the series, you find that everybody has ulterior motives or hidden agendas,” reveals Lyna. “We took a slightly different approach with my character, though, because while Henriette did exist, we know much less about her, so the director suggested we take some license and blend several characters into one.
“Henriette is a lady-in-waiting who is in love with Carême, so you see her as only a love interest at the start. But it turns out that she has many, many other dimensions and she’s got fingers in every pie. You start being more wary of her, afraid of her even. I like the mystery shrouding her."
Carême: Serving up scenes
Food is very much a character in Carême, and production designer Arnaud Roth and his team filled kitchen larders with hundreds of cheeses and hams, and sourced stuffed animals rather than using real carcasses.
Culinary creator Jerome Raffaelli also headed up a team of kitchen and pastry chefs who prepared the lavish dishes on set, as well as the huge, historically relevant and edible feasts for the actors to eat during filming.
“I did get to taste the meals on set. I mean, you must have some privileges as an actor!” laughs Benjamin. “I started out knowing very little about cooking, but I went to a great culinary school and trained with a top chef. I learnt so much from that experience, just watching and soaking it all in.
“I do hope this series inspires people to take up cooking,” adds Benjamin. “Or if you go out to dinner, hopefully it’ll inspire you to eat French!”
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