Francois Vatel (1631 – 1671), one of the most celebrated culinary masters in chef’s coats in history, was Maitre d’hotel at the Chateau de Chantilly for the extravagant banquet given by Count Louis in honor of King Louis XIV, the King Sun, April 24, 1671. The king had arrived the night before and there was a moonlight walk and a sumptuous meal served in a reed garden. Unfortunately, there were more guests than anticipated and there was not enough barbecue for everyone. Vatel, the perfectionist, was very distressed and was heard to comment that he had lost his honor; this was an embarrassment he couldn’t bear. He told his friend Prince Gourville that his head was spinning and that he couldn’t sleep, please help him. The Prince told him not to worry, the King’s dinner was excellent but Vatel replied, “Sir, your goodness is more than I deserve; I know two tables had no roast!” The prince tried to calm the fickle chef, but to no avail.
That night a mist covered the castle, so the long-awaited sixteen thousand franc fireworks show did not materialize. At four in the morning, unable to sleep, Vatel went downstairs to the kitchen and ran into the fishmonger in a work uniform who told him that he had brought two loads of fish for dinner that night. That was not enough fish. Other fishmongers came to bring their wares, but none appeared. Vatel waited and waited, but the other fishmongers did not come. Fearing not having enough fish for dinner, Vatel sought out Gourville and said, “Sir, I cannot survive this disgrace to my honor and reputation.” Gourville just laughed. Vatel left him and returned to his room where he drew his sword and stabbed himself in the heart (on the third attempt, the first two stabs were not fatal), and he fell to the ground dead.
Then the fishmongers in white aprons appeared, all of them with an abundance of fish. They searched for Vatel and sent servants to his room. The servants knocked on Vatel’s door and finally had to break it down. They found him lying on the ground, drowned in a pool of his own blood. The servants ran towards the prince, who was wounded. The duke, who had come from Burgundy just to sample Vatel’s cuisine, wept and wept. The Prince explained to the King that Vatel had done it for his pride, and most of the court praised Vatel and blamed the suicide on his courage. The king felt remorse and explained that he had not come to Chantilly in five years precisely because he knew how much stress his visits there caused. He explained to the prince that he should have had only two tables and had not paid attention to any of the others. Prince Gourville tried to make up for the loss of Vatel and it worked: they had a fine meal surrounded by the scent of reeds, then went for a walk and hunted. The king was satisfied at Liancourt the next day.