25/08/2025
The man who attended his own funeral…
Long before the Michelin Guide came to judge the finest restaurants… there was Grimod de La Reynière.
Considered the very first food critic in history, in 1803 he published L’Almanach des Gourmands, a guide ranking the best tables, products, and caterers in Paris.
But Grimod was not content with writing—he staged taste itself.
One evening in 1812, his close friends received a funeral notice.
The deceased? Grimod himself.
The guests, puzzled yet loyal, arrived at a salon draped in black, where a catafalque stood in the center. Then suddenly, Grimod appeared—alive—seated at the heart of the scene.
He raised his glass and declared:
“Dinner is served.”
This false funeral, as macabre as it was brilliant, was a test: who would mourn him… even at supper time?
That night, he hosted a spectacular banquet.
Theatrical staging, social satire, and the art of dining fused together. Grimod had perhaps just invented the very first gastronomic performance in history.
Curious to learn more? Even more fascinating anecdotes await on our page!
🛎️ If you’d like to discover more stories and secrets on this theme, reach out to us at: greetsparis.com.
