Born in Paris in 1783 , Antoine Carême - whom he preferred to call Antonin - was born in a poor family, in a large siblings, in a barrack near the hospital of incurable women. The stories of his youth oscillate between legend and reality, but all agree to describe a modest childhood, punctuated by resourceful and early work. According to his own words, his father would have left him left to himself at the age of ten, saying to him:
"Go, little, there are good trades in this world. Misery is our lot, we must die there. But
the destiny of this little Parisian will not be that of the misery.

Placed in a gargish of the Maine barrier, the young Lent learns the basics of the profession in modest kitchens , where workers are nourished. He first exercises thankless tasks, but observes, learns, retains. When he is hired as a mitron with a baker, he discovered a new universe: that of dough, fermentation, controlled fire. He acquired gestures there, but also the first letters. His reading is refined, his ambition too.

On the eve of 18 Brumaire year VIII (November 9, 1799) , fate changed: the young Antonin enters Sylvain Bailly , famous pastry chef on rue Vivienne. There, he evolves in a completely different world: customers are called Talleyrand or Joséphine de Beauharnais . The young apprentice, barely adolescent, is distinguished by his speed of execution, the precision of his gesture and the finesse of his taste. In a few weeks, he went from the second to the first walk. Already, the whole-Paris whisper his name.

The ascent of Lent marries the contours of the imperial history . Recommended by Bailly , he entered the service of Talleyrand , who became Minister of External Relations. He joined the team of great extraordinary , these dinners where Napoleon orders to receive twice a week foreign ambassadors and princes. In these refined kitchens , Lent forms with the greatest: Richaud , master of sauces; Lasne , frost specialist; Laguipière , former of the King's house.

In 1805 , he was called to the Élysée with Caroline Murat . The emperor, concerned about health and discipline, encourages the return to the great meager cuisine , inspired by court practices and monasteries: meat without meat, delicate broths, where the bacon is banished to favor clarity. Lent devotes himself to it with fervor. He will say later:
"It was at the Élysée that I somehow received my last instructions. »»

Shortly after, he opened his own establishment in a booming street: gray marbles, mirrors, green velvet ... everything breathes discreet luxury. It is there that he imagines the grandson , these elegant bites that we taste standing, without cutlery, and which will be all the rage in the salons of the 19th century .

But it was in 1814 that his fame became European . While Tsar troops Alexandre I occupy Champagne, Lent is responsible for feeding the Russian dignitaries. Three days of banquets, three hundred cutlery each evening, in an exsangue France: challenge taken up. Following, he was invited to England by Prince Régent , future George IV . Here again, he surprises, even heals the drop of the sovereign with pearl barley soups ... without giving up a few truffles and three bottles of champagne .

He was then called to Vienna , then in Saint Petersburg , where he draws urban embellishment projects for the Tsar. But administrative constraints and budget controls eventually exasperate it. He prefers to return to Paris , find his wife, his daughter ... and his pans.