White Truffles in Winter [Paperback] Kelby,N M

Auguste Escoffier — the chef who invented the modern restaurant — died broke, exiled, and haunted by the one woman who understood him. This is her story. Sarah Bernhardt's cook, courtesan's daughter, hotel empress: she was all of these before becoming Escoffier's muse and greatest regret. N.M. Kelby weaves between Belle Époque Paris and 1920s Monte Carlo, tracking their decades-long dance of ambition, obsession, and the meals that fueled empires. The luxury is tactile — you can taste the truffle-laced dishes and smell the ruin coming. It's historical fiction that understands how food, power, and desire tangle together, written with the precision of a well-executed sauce. For readers who loved *The Paris Wife* or anyone fascinated by the theatre of fine dining and the people who built it.