'Carême' Thinks Fast & Improvises Faster in an Exclusive Look at Episode 4

The story of Antonin Carême as the world’s first celebrity chef is well-timed, as Carême on Apple TV+ hits its halfway point, as it’s a nice rejoinder to the just-concluded Marie Antoinette on PBS. Both series are set in France, and both are set in the same revolutionary era (though Carême deals with Louis XVIII, a few kings after Antoinette’s ill-fated husband, Louis XIV). The good news is that being a few kings after the big beheading gives the series more runway. It also means that, despite the revolutius interruptus moments in the background and off screen, viewers know France’s aristocracy isn’t about to fall again. At least, not yet, as Episode 4, “Buy the Crown!” arrives.

Warning: Spoilers for Carême Season 1, Episode 3 follow.

Carême might insist it is about France’s invention of the celebrity chef, but a revolution is war, and sides need to be taken. Antonin is already playing a perilous game by Episode 3’s “A Recipe for Disaster,” with Minister of Police, M. Fouché (Micha Lescot) tricking him into handing over a handwriting sample to prove he was the one who copied Napoleon’s route and betrayed his country. 

However, Antonin (Benjamin Voisin) keeps staying one step ahead (partly thanks to his benefactor, Talleyrand), and Episode 4 has him frantically improvising in an attempt to impress the powerful and wealthy aristocrats of France by using food as an emotionally persuasive tool. Check out our exclusive clip:

Here's the synopsis for Carême's fourth episode, "Buy the Crown!"

France’s fate hinges on a dinner with the rightful king, Louis XVIII. Carême must improvise in a foreign kitchen. Henriette’s secrets come to light.

The series stars Voisin (Fiertés) as Carême; Lescot (Jeanne du Barry) as Fouche, Jérémie Renier (Slalom) as Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord; Lyna Khoudri (The French Dispatch) as Carême’s lover Henriette, and Alice Da Luz (And the Party Goes On) as Agatha. 

Guest stars for the fourth episode include Sharif Andoura (Out of Season) as Louis XVIII, Geoffrey Carlassare (Becoming Karl Lagerfeld) as Le Cuisinier de Louis XVIII, Lolita Chammah (Transatlantic) as Marie-Josephine De Savoie, and Louise Labeque (In Therapy) as Marie-Therese de Bourbon. Supporting cast includes Kellan Marecaux, Bruno Forget, Rome Brevan-Cachon, Dimitri Dore, Clotilde Mollet, Gabriel Donzelli, Vincent Schmitt, and Damien Escudier.

David Serino (The Bad Guy) adapted the series with author Ian Kelly, inspired by his best-seller Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême, the First Celebrity Chef. Director Martin Bourboulon (Eiffel) helmed all episodes, including this one. Executive producers are Vanessa van Zuylen for VVZ Production and Dominique Farrugia with Banijay’s Shine Fiction for Apple TV+. 

Carême Season 1 continues on Apple TV+. Episode 4 debuts on Wednesday, May 14, and will be followed by one episode weekly every Wednesday through June 11, 2025. There's no word if Season 2 will be greenlit as yet.