Our History
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts was established in 1980 as part of the Académie Culinaire de France, whose origins go back as far as 1883.
Marie-Antoine Carême
Marie-Antoine Carême
Carême was known as "the king of chefs and the chef of kings". "Gastronomes and food writers have praised him as a great genius of haute cuisine", and have held him up as "an outstanding example of how a lowly apprentice, of a humble background, could rise to the topmost pinnacle of his profession"
Learn more about him on Wikipedia
Marie-Antoine Carême, is considered to be the godfather of culinary arts. Our highest accolade that we award the Master of Culinary Arts, features his face as its emblem and our Fellows are awarded a certificate with his bust featuring in the background. Marie-Antoine Carême is our symbolic figurehead. The legacy that he created in the culinary world represents the pinnacle of excellence and mastery that your academy strives to achieve and honour.
Master of Culinary Arts
Lapel Pin
Master of Culinary Arts
Medal
The origins of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts lie in the Académie Culinaire de France, an organisation founded in 1883 by Joseph Favre, a French chemist. The remit of the Académie Culinaire de France was to collect and catalogue all the classical recipes – as the Académie Française does with literature and language.
The genesis of the British branch of the Académie was the Club 9, a group of highly regarded Chefs des Cuisines who met monthly to mull over the culinary business of the day. They were Michel Bourdin, Albert Roux, John Huber, Anton Mosimann, Guy Mouilleron, Peter Kromberg, Richard Shepherd, Uwe Zander and Felix Muntwyler.
Befitting the organisation, the Académie Culinaire de France Filiale de Grande Bretagne was launched as a Friendly Society with a momentous dinner at The Connaught on 6th December 1980, (pictured above) with Michel Bourdin as Founder President and Albert Roux as his Vice President. Sir Hugh Wontner, the Savoy’s iconic Chairman, and Paolo Zago, the Connaught’s now legendary GM, were the Academy’s first Honorary Members.
The 25 Founding Members were
Jean Bellavita - Michel Bourdin - Brian Cotterill - Martin Davies - Joël Défaut
André Durand - Bernard Gaume - Professor John Huber - Eugene Käufeler - Peter Kromberg
Emile Léfèbvre - Gilbert Lefèvre - Henri Lullier - Oswald Mair - Julien Martell
Anton Mosimann - Guy Mouilleron - Christian Moury - Georges Piotet - Albert Roux OBE
Richard Shepherd CBE - D Toinard - Jacques Viney - Louis Virot - Uwe Zander
Honorary Founding Members: Martin Skan, Paolo Zago and Sir Hugh Wontner
The early days of the Académie Culinaire de France Filiale de Grande Bretagne were made possible by immense support from Moet & Chandon and its CEO Patrick Forbes. Plenary meetings were faithfully held there once a month until the late Eighties when the Académie outgrew Moet’s boardroom table.
1982, Associate membership First Gala Dinner to celebrate the beginnings of the Academy at Chewton Glen which was attended by all the members from Britain and a number from France. A number of the country’s top suppliers were invited to join as Associate Members, Allen & Co, Moet & Chandon, Champagne Taittinger. Covent Garden Supply Company, Howes Brothers, Minch Fish (now James Knight of Mayfair), Laurent Perrier, Cointreau, Hobart-Still and Forman & Sons.
1983 First Investiture ceremony was created to honour as a mark of respect to great culinary men and women of the past. With a presentation of physical ceremonial of leather-bound chairs that sat around the Moet & Chandon boardroom table. This tradition is still represented today when a Fellow is announced as to The Chair of… thus adding to the ever-growing table of culinary greats.
1983 Launch of the Young Commis of the Year Award under the chairmanship of Emile Lefebvre and supported by Laurent Perrier, Cointreau and the Savoy Educational Trust. First Diner de Printemps at which the award winners are celebrated. Michel Malapris, President ACdF in Paris, is guest of honour.
G.Tirel
1370
La Vernne
1657
Massialot
1691
V. La Chapelle
1735
Menon
1739
Marin
1739
J.Gilliers
1750
A.Viard
1806
A. Careme
1810
B.Albert
1822
The first certificates of honour in 1983 were awarded as part of an Investiture ceremony.
The first Investiture ceremony honoured culinary mentors, a tradition that continues as the Fellowship, recognizing excellence both back and front of house.
The first members invested were:
The Chair of:
AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER to SIR HUGH WONTNER
ANTONIN CAREME to RICHARD SHEPHERD
FERNAND POINT to ALBERT ROUX
ALEX HUMBERT to MICHEL BOURDIN
featured prominent historical French chefs, including Careme, Joseph Favre and Escoffier, which highlight the prominence of high cuisine through the ages.
Dubois Et Bernard
1856
C. Reculet
1859
P.Lacam
1865
J.Couffe
1867
J.Favre
1883
G.Garlin
1887
P.Gilbert
1893
P. Montagne Et Salles
1900
A. Escoffier Et Fetu
1905
Darenne Et Duval
1909
E.Nignon
1920
1985 Silvano Giraldin (Le Gavroche) and Richard Edmonds (Boodles) started L’Académie des Arts de la Table (front of house) division of the Academy to include Restaurant Managers and Sommeliers. Silvano Giraldin becomes the first Chairman of Les Arts and remains until the present day.
1986 Concerned that the French constitution, which limited the membership to 35 chefs over the age of 35 years, was restricting the development of the Academie in Great Britain, invitations were extended to members’ brigades past and present i.e. the Connaught; the Inter-Continental; the Dorchester, the Savoy etc. The Affiliate membership of the Academy was born with 36 members, celebrated with an inaugural meeting at the May Fair Inter-Continental.
1987 The first Meilleur Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne (now the Master of Culinary Arts) was inspired by Michel and Albert Roux, Michel Bourdin and Richard Shepherd. It was held under the chairmanship of Emile Lefebvre at (then) Slough College, with the presentation in the evening by Lord Young of Graffham at Le Meridien Hotel, Piccadilly. Richard Shepard was also announced as the first British Chairman.
40th Anniversary of the Roux Scholarship
John Williams, President of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, tribute to Albert and Michel Roux. Given at the 40th anniversary of the Roux Scholarship. The brothers were founders of the Royal Academy and John paid homage to their culinary prowess, their respect in the industry and the power of the Roux Scholarship in developing culinary talent.
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Obituaries
Albert Roux,
Founding Member, Club 9
You can read Albert’s ilustrious career here in his obituary:
Albert was a champion and founding member of the orginal Club 9 which later became the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. Albert played a key role in professionalising the Royal Academy and its Adopt a School programme, a national charity delivering food education in schools.
Speaking to The Caterer in 2017, he said: "It never fails to bring tears to my eyes looking at the kids, just seven or eight years old. They are so proud, wearing their chefs' hats and aprons, shoulders up, showing their parents what they can do.
Sara Jayne Stanes,
CEO,
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts 1990-2021.
Sara’s obituary:
Brian Turner CBE, who worked alongside Stanes as president of the RACA, said: "Sara was the powerful engine room of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts with its ideals and missions always in the front of her mind. Sara loved the hospitality industry and deserves her place in the history of the Academy and industry as a whole.
"Her knowledge and appreciation of food, service, wine and chocolate was second to none and her desire to see that this was passed on to future generations through Adopt a School and the Academy's apprenticeships scheme was something to be seen.
Richard Shepherd,
Honorary President,
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Richard’s Obituary
Shepherd was a member of the hugely influential Club 9 of trailblazing chefs in late 1970s London, and he later co-founded the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and was its honorary president.
“It is with great sadness that we heard that the great Michel Bourdin sadly passed away. Michel was a founder of the Academy of Culinary Arts and instrumental in pursuing our royal title of which we are so proud. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Michel Bourdin’s Obituary
Michel Bourdin,
Founding Member,
Club 9
John Williams MBE, executive chef at the Ritz London, told The Caterer: "I knew Ramon, or Mr Pajares as I would always call him, as a humble man. He really could speak to anyone and when he was operational there was nobody like him.
"When I worked for him at the Savoy Group I was fascinated by this man that was so forward thinking. He was probably one of the first to look at chefs and allow them to be their own patrons in a hotel.
Ramon Pajares Obituary
Ramon Pajares,
Fellow,
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Before retiring from hospitality in 2016, Bauer was chairman of AB hotels. In a glittering career he was general manager of London’s Hyde Park hotel and the Savoy. He was awarded an OBE in 2011.
He was a staunch supporter of charities and among other notable efforts, he co-founded the Ark Foundation, which provides help to those in the hospitality industry who become reliant on drink or drugs. Bauer had also been a governor of the Academy of Culinary Arts, the Edge Hotel School, and was involved in the Chefs ‘Adopt a School’ scheme.
Willy Bauer’s Obituary