Roy Andries De Groot
Encyclopedia
Baron Roy Andries de Groot (February 21, 1910 - September 16, 1983), was a British-born American culinary writer and wine critic.
He was born in London, the son of a Dutch artist and a French noblewoman. He was educated at St Paul's School and at Oxford University.
During the 1930s, de Groot worked as a news and feature writer, film writer, and director. When World War II
broke out, he joined the British Ministry of Information
and worked for the BBC, where, during The Blitz
of London, he suffered eye injuries that would leave him totally blind within 20 years.
De Groot emigrated to the United States in 1941 and worked for the U.S. State Department
. According to his obituary in the New York Times, de Groot gave up his Dutch title in 1945, when he became an American citizen.
In 1948, he married the British actress Katherine Hynes and they lived in a house on Bleecker Street
in New York
's Greenwich Village
with his seeing-eye dog
companion, Atena. Of their three daughters, the youngest was given up for adoption, while the two elder daughters, Fiona and Christina, lived with their parents.
As his vision failed, he switched careers in the 1960s and took up food writing, something he could do with his remaining senses. He wrote for Esquire
, Ladies Home Journal, Playboy
, House Beautiful
, Vintage, McCall's
, Gourmet, Time
and The New York Times
.
De Groot's "Recipes from The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth
" (Auberge de l'Atre Fleuri) published in 1973 is a classic in its field. It is the story of how de Groot went to France to seek out the history of the liqueur Chartreuse
. In doing so, he discovered the world of two women who cooked with the seasons, which became the focus of the book.
De Groot later moved with his wife, Kathryn, and his seeing-eye dog
companion, Nusta, to the Westbeth Artists' Colony in Greenwich Village.
De Groot died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reportedly as a result of depression caused by his failing health. His wife died of a stroke at age 88 on March 27, 1993.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DB163BF932A35757C0A965958260
He was born in London, the son of a Dutch artist and a French noblewoman. He was educated at St Paul's School and at Oxford University.
During the 1930s, de Groot worked as a news and feature writer, film writer, and director. When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, he joined the British Ministry of Information
Minister of Information
The Ministry of Information , headed by the Minister of Information, was a United Kingdom government department created briefly at the end of World War I and again during World War II...
and worked for the BBC, where, during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
of London, he suffered eye injuries that would leave him totally blind within 20 years.
De Groot emigrated to the United States in 1941 and worked for the U.S. State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. According to his obituary in the New York Times, de Groot gave up his Dutch title in 1945, when he became an American citizen.
In 1948, he married the British actress Katherine Hynes and they lived in a house on Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is a street in New York City's Manhattan borough. It is perhaps most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street is a spine that connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which was once a major center for American bohemia.Bleecker...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
with his seeing-eye dog
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
companion, Atena. Of their three daughters, the youngest was given up for adoption, while the two elder daughters, Fiona and Christina, lived with their parents.
As his vision failed, he switched careers in the 1960s and took up food writing, something he could do with his remaining senses. He wrote for Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Ladies Home Journal, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, House Beautiful
House Beautiful
House Beautiful is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who purchased it in 1934...
, Vintage, McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
, Gourmet, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
De Groot's "Recipes from The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth
The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth
The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth by Roy Andries De Groot, was published in 1973, in which de Groot writes about the time he spent at a French inn by that name and the good meals he ate there...
" (Auberge de l'Atre Fleuri) published in 1973 is a classic in its field. It is the story of how de Groot went to France to seek out the history of the liqueur Chartreuse
Chartreuse (liqueur)
Chartreuse is a French liqueur made by the Carthusian Monks since the 1740s. It is composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbal extracts. The liqueur is named after the Monks' Grande Chartreuse monastery, located in the Chartreuse Mountains in the general region of Grenoble in France...
. In doing so, he discovered the world of two women who cooked with the seasons, which became the focus of the book.
De Groot later moved with his wife, Kathryn, and his seeing-eye dog
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
companion, Nusta, to the Westbeth Artists' Colony in Greenwich Village.
De Groot died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reportedly as a result of depression caused by his failing health. His wife died of a stroke at age 88 on March 27, 1993.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DB163BF932A35757C0A965958260