Culinary Luminary: Henri Soulé

Henri Soulé (1903–1966) came to New York from France in 1939 to serve as maitre d’ for the restaurant in the French pavilion at the World’s Fair. When the fair closed in 1940, France was under German occupation, and Soulé elected to remain here. The next year, he opened Le Pavilion, which became the model for high-end restaurants in the United States. Through his restaurants and the staff he trained, he probably had more influence on haute cuisine in the United States than any other chef or restaurateur in the 20th century.

Moderated by Andrew F. Smith, faculty member of the New School Food Studies program, speakers include:

William Grimes, New York Times columnist

Mitchell Davis, vice president of the James Beard Foundation

Priscilla Parker-Ferguson, author of Accounting for Taste: the Triumph of French Cuisine.

Sponsored by the Food Studies program of The New School for Public Engagement.