This painting is an oil on panel measuring 25 x 32 inches and was painted in about 1890. The original is in the Allbright Knox Gallery in Buffalo USA.

It depicts a young thin pessimistic chef who works for a cardinal who fancies himself as a would be chef.

Unfortunately for the chef, his master has the mania of thinking himself a superior cook and prefers putting on an apron, investigating the kitchen, sampling sauces, and burning the butter, to carrying out his religious tasks. The worst, however, is when he "has just concocted one of his poisons and raised his spoon towards heaven, with the triumphant cry " this sauce is exquisite, it's a wonderful sauce ". He even forces the chef to taste his horrible cooking.

Vibert himself was an excellent cook and inventor of sauces or at least so he claims in his autobiographical notes.

It seems that he identified with the corpulent amateur chef rather than the thin pessimistic chef. Can't say I blame him !!

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