Our First Look at Apple TV+'s French Period Drama 'Carême' Is Delicious

Apple TV+ continues to lean into its international programming era, announcing that French language drama Carême will arrive on the streamer in April. The eight-part period piece is set to explore the life of the titular Antonin Carême, the man who became the world's first celebrity chef (and revolutionized the idea of French cooking along the way.)

Carême was born to a poor family in late eighteenth-century Paris. He went to work at a very young age in a basic French restaurant known as a gargote before becoming an apprentice to a leading Parisian pâtissier. He quickly became known for his ambitious patisserie skills, particularly his large pièces montées — elaborate, frequently towering table decorations sculpted in sugar — but eventually expanded his knowledge into all aspects of cooking.  Among other things, he is credited with codifying the so-called "mother sauces" – Velouté, Béchamel, Allemande, and Espagnole – on which classic French cuisine is based. His recipes not only became standard for chefs of his day but they're still acknowledged by modern cooks.

Known as "the king of chefs and the chef of kings", Carême's most notable patrons included Napoleon Bonaparte, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the British Prince Regent George IV, and French foreign minister Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. The Apple TV+ drama appears primed to lean into the idea that while crafting elaborate dishes for a global audience, Carême also served as a spy for Talleyrand and the French government. Though his alleged side hustle has long been rumored, there's no solid historical evidence that any of this ever actually happened. But the idea of a famous chef ferrying information heard at high-end dinner tables throughout Europe is certainly the kind of creative fodder television executives live for.