The suicide of chef François Vatel

Francois Vatel (1631 – 1671) – one of the most celebrated culinary masters in the history of chef’s jackets – was Maitre d’hotel at the Chateau de Chantilly for the extravagant banquet hosted by Count Louis in honor of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, April 24, 1671. The King had arrived the night before and there was a moonlight stroll and a sumptuous meal served in a garden of reeds. Unfortunately, there were more guests than anticipated and there was not enough roast to go around. Vatel, the perfectionist, was very distressed and was heard to comment that he had lost his honor; this was a disgrace he could not bear. He told his friend Prince Gourville that his head was spinning and he couldn’t sleep, please help him. The Prince told him not to worry, the King’s dinner was excellent but Vatel replied: “Sir, his kindness is more than I deserve; I know that two tables did not have a roast!” The Prince tried to calm the fickle chef, but to no avail.

That night, fog covered the Chateau, so the long-awaited sixteen thousand franc fireworks display did not materialize. At four in the morning, unable to sleep, Vatel went down to the kitchen and ran into the fishmonger in work uniform who told him that he had brought two loads of fish for dinner that night. That wasn’t enough fish. Other fishmongers went to bring their wares but none appeared. Vatel waited and waited, but the other fishmongers did not come. Fearful that he would not have enough fish for dinner, Vatel sought out Gourville and said, “Sir, I cannot survive this disgrace to my honor and reputation.” Gourville just laughed. Vatel left him and returned to his room where he drew his sword and stabbed himself in the heart (on the third try, the first two stab wounds were not fatal), and fell to the floor dead.

Then the fishmongers appeared in white aprons, all of them with an abundance of fish. They searched for Vatel and sent servants to his room. The servants banged on Vatel’s door and finally had to break it down. They found him lying on the ground, drowned in a pool of his own blood. The servants ran to the Prince, who was injured. The duke, who had come from Burgundy just to try Vatel’s cooking, wept and wept. The Prince explained to the King that Vatel had done it out of his pride, and most of the court praised Vatel and blamed the suicide on his courage. The King felt remorseful and explained that he had not been to Chantilly for five years precisely because he knew the tension caused by his visits there. He explained to the Prince that he should have only had two tables and paid no attention to any of the others. Prince Gourville tried to make up for the loss of Vatel, and it worked: they had a fine meal surrounded by the scent of reeds, then walked and hunted. The King was satisfied at Liancourt the next day.

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