In this winningly-told story, Luke Barr explores the advent of the luxe life through the saga of hotelier Cesar Ritz and chef August Escoffier, whose partnership brought us not only the adjective ritzy, itself no small testament, but also such once-novel phenomena as hotel rooms with their own bathrooms, and innovative dishes like peach Melba. It's a charming tale of success, scandal, and redemption-complete with an unexpected villain. Trigger alert: It will make you hungry, and a little nostalgic for bygone times.-Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and Devil in the White City

Such a fabulous couple of characters and such glamorous, dicey cosmopolitan milieux that Luke Barr depicts with such verve and lucidity. Ritz & Escoffier is a case study of the birth of branded luxury that reads like a dark, delicious urban spinoff prequel to Downton Abbey.-Kurt Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Spell America Without Me and Fantasyland

So very much of what is exciting in food and hospitality today, started with Ritz and Escoffier. They were modern for their time; they are modern for ours. Barr's book is fascinating from beginning to end.-Dorie Greenspan, James Beard Award-winning author of Dorie's Cookies and Baking Chez Moi

Like Barr tells the remarkable story of how César Ritz built a world-class hospitality empire, and his esteemed chef Escoffier, took fine dining to new heights. Ritz & Escoffier is an entertaining account of how they adapted to-and even changed-social customs, helping the world modernize, and leaving behind an impressive legacy.-David Lebovitz, New York Times bestselling author of L'appart and My Paris Kitchen

A thrilling story of how an outsider-a Swiss peasant-instructed 19th century aristocrats, celebrities, politicians, and plutocrats how to live and, in doing so, single-handedly defined modern luxury. Luke Barr's incandescent narrative is as smooth and seductive as the service at the Ritz.-Kate Betts, author of My Paris Dream