Victor Joseph (né Vittorio Giuseppe) Ceserani[n 1] MBE (23 October 1919 – 18 February 2017) was a British cook, teacher and writer.
It was continually revised over the next four decades; Kinton, shortly followed by Ceserani, handed over to younger writers for subsequent editions in the early 21st century.
He was a waiter at the Ritz Hotel, London; his wife, from Charleroi, Belgium, had come to England as a refugee during the First World War.
[3] On leaving school, Ceserani joined the kitchens of the Ritz as an apprentice, at a wage of seven shillings and sixpence[n 2] for a six-day week.
Shortly after being awarded his post-apprenticeship certificate in 1937 he left the Ritz to become second chef at the Orleans Club in St James's.
[5] While convalescing after an operation in 1950 Ceserani reflected on his good fortune in having cooked in such a range of kitchens and having been so well taught by experts.
From 1962 to 1972, he combined his Ealing post with that of chief examiner for the City and Guilds of London Institute, the principal body awarding qualifications to students at catering (and many other) colleges.
[4] In 1968–69 Ceserani took a year's sabbatical from Ealing, serving as visiting professor at Michigan State University in the US, combining his lecturing duties there with studying for and being awarded a Master of Business Administration degree.
[3] Once Ceserani and Kinton had finalised the text of their Practical Cookery they took it to a London publisher, who was willing to accept it but wanted to make it a de luxe publication with colour plates.
By the late 1980s, both authors, approaching seventy, looked to the future of the book and co-opted a younger co-author, David Foskett, a colleague of Ceserani at Ealing.
Before the eleventh edition (2008) Kinton withdrew and a new co-author joined the team − John Campbell, a Michelin star-winning chef.