Marco Pierre White
In 1995, White became the first British chef and, at age 33, the youngest chef to earn three Michelin stars. He realised that he's dyslexic when his son was diagnosed by his school. White recalled feeling humiliated when other children laughed when he was called on to read aloud in school. He left the school in Leeds without any qualifications and decided to train as a chef like his father.
In 1981, at age 20, he moved to London with "£7.36, a box of books, and a bag of clothes", and began his classical training as a commis with Albert and Michel Roux. Although White worked for seventeen long years to pursue his ambition, he ultimately found that, in spite of his accomplishments, recognition and fame, his career did not provide him with adequate returns in his personal life. As a result, in 1999, he retired and returned his Michelin stars.
Most of us can only wonder how that would feel. I mean, of course, in the middle of ones life deciding that everything that one has work to had been achieved. One had reached the dizzy heights of true professionalism at a very young age, everyone is admiring the splendid career and one starts to be known all over the place, and then one returns the honours and retires for more than a decade from the profession that "made oneself".
White stopped working behind the stove as a head chef, stating that maintaining stars felt like a repetitive factory or "conveyor belt cuisine" rather than a creative pursuit. Of course, besides rediscovering a love for the outdoors, nature, and spending time with his family, he has also engaged himself since in major corporate deals, including a high-profile multi-million dollar brand ambassadorship for Knorr bouillon stock from 2007 onwards.
In this enclosed clip Matt Tebbutt, a British chef and television food presenter himself, recalls the madness of working for the legendary Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White. From being hilariously pranked on their first meeting to getting sacked mid-service, Matt shares some extraordinary stories from one of Britain's most notorious kitchens. Personally, I liked the mentioning of Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential in this respect too.
[media=https://youtu.be/L-j2ftLvIcQ]
In 1981, at age 20, he moved to London with "£7.36, a box of books, and a bag of clothes", and began his classical training as a commis with Albert and Michel Roux. Although White worked for seventeen long years to pursue his ambition, he ultimately found that, in spite of his accomplishments, recognition and fame, his career did not provide him with adequate returns in his personal life. As a result, in 1999, he retired and returned his Michelin stars.
Most of us can only wonder how that would feel. I mean, of course, in the middle of ones life deciding that everything that one has work to had been achieved. One had reached the dizzy heights of true professionalism at a very young age, everyone is admiring the splendid career and one starts to be known all over the place, and then one returns the honours and retires for more than a decade from the profession that "made oneself".
White stopped working behind the stove as a head chef, stating that maintaining stars felt like a repetitive factory or "conveyor belt cuisine" rather than a creative pursuit. Of course, besides rediscovering a love for the outdoors, nature, and spending time with his family, he has also engaged himself since in major corporate deals, including a high-profile multi-million dollar brand ambassadorship for Knorr bouillon stock from 2007 onwards.
In this enclosed clip Matt Tebbutt, a British chef and television food presenter himself, recalls the madness of working for the legendary Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White. From being hilariously pranked on their first meeting to getting sacked mid-service, Matt shares some extraordinary stories from one of Britain's most notorious kitchens. Personally, I liked the mentioning of Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential in this respect too.
[media=https://youtu.be/L-j2ftLvIcQ]
