Lifestyle: Food & Drink – The thoughts of Marco Pierre White

FOR most businessmen being branded an “entrepreneur” would be seen as something positive, however, it appears the rules don’t apply when you’re an award-winning celebrity chef – a fact Marco Pierre White is only too keen to clarify.

So when I interviewed him during a visit to the restaurant in Birmingham that bears his name he was quick to distance himself from the term. In fact so keen was he to dispel the notion that anything he does could be called entrepreneurial that he almost spat the term back at me.

“I don’t consider myself an entrepreneur – never have done. I’m a chef!”

Not that I should really have been surprised by his vehement denials, MPW has always been something of a maverick; L’Enfant terrible of the culinary world – an image he clearly relishes.

After 25 years as a journalist I’m used to difficult interviews – and interviewees. Politicians, sportsmen and celebrities have all proved challenging in the past but I’m a little too long in the tooth now to worry about egos – or flattering them.

Nevertheless, knowing the reputation the subject of my latest interview enjoys then I have to admit approaching the assignment with more than a little trepidation. A situation which failed to improve when I was ushered into the man’s presence to find him seated in a throne-like chair overlooked by a somewhat overbearing black and white photograph of the subject himself.

So when my opening question provoked such a response I was immediately playing off the back foot – never a good place for an interviewer to be.

Time for a change of tact.

Let’s review the facts.

Regarded by many as the godfather of modern cooking, MPW is famed both for his fiery temperament and for the quality of his Michelin-starred food.

His approach has also influenced many pretenders to his crown – Gordon Ramsey and Heston Blumenthal to name but two.

However, his culinary prowess is a far cry from his humble childhood, where he was brought up on a Leeds council estate and left high school in Allerton without any formal qualifications.

Deciding he wanted to be a chef, he started out his culinary career in the kitchen of the St George Hotel in Harrogate in 1977, moving later to the Box Tree in Ilkley.

At 16 he moved to London where he started his training under the watchful eye of Albert and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche before moving to the kitchen of Raymond Blanc at Le Manior.

Growing in skills and reputation, by 24 he was head chef and joint owner of Harveys in London, where included amongst his kitchen staff was the young Ramsey.

By the age of 33 MPW had become the youngest chef ever to achieve the distinction of three Michelin stars.

When you reach such lofty heights at such a relatively young age, what more is there for you to do?

Continue until old and grey and gradually watch all the young Turks supplant you?
Not if you’re MPW.

Therefore in 1999 he famously handed back his three stars and set about developing a new career for himself as a restaurateur (which sounds to me very entrepreneurial but then what do I know).

More recently this strategy has seen him open a network of restaurants around the UK split between the Steakhouse Bar & Grill and the New York Italian concepts.

Diners in Birmingham have helped to popularise his Steakhouse concept during the past three years – although many are attracted as much by the restaurant’s location on the top floor of the Cube building and its spectacular views over the city, as they are by the food.

His offering to the region is being expanded this month with the opening of his new New York Italian restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon.

To date, 12 restaurants are already open, including venues in Chester, Liverpool and Newcastle, with the newest having just opened in Glasgow. Other openings this year have included Cambridge and Syon Park.

Contracts for a further seven are at an advanced stage, including one in Manchester plus an additional one in Scotland and two more in London.

The plan is to have a total of 50 restaurants open within the next five years. This is in addition to the numerous pubs and standalone venues falling under the MPW umbrella.

He likes to show his face at all the restaurants at regular intervals – hence his visit to Birmingham (which is currently being upgraded to ensure its offer remains competitive in a city which is rapidly acquiring a healthy reputation for its diverse culinary offering).

So plenty to talk there you might think, but as I sit down with him he prefers to discuss anything but food; the conversation stretching across football, politics and the media.

The approach is refreshing.

“So how are the local teams doing this year?” he asks.

I explain the difficulties being faced by Aston Villa and Birmingham City as they strive to find new owners, while near-neighbour West Bromwich Albion has a big task ahead trying to convince its fans that the appointment of an unknown manager is a positive move.

“I don’t really have a team these days. I watch Arsenal sometimes but then I also go to see Chelsea,” he says.

The conversation moves to politics – we are in the hiatus between the aftermath of the Scottish independence vote and the start of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

Not that on the face of it, he is much of a political animal. I imagine he doesn’t suffer politicians gladly.

“Miliband, Cameron, the Liberal Democrats – they’re all the same, far too superficial. I prefer Boris (Johnson), he much more approachable.”

This doesn’t surprise me because I would think that he’s always been drawn to mavericks, probably because of their rebellious nature and the fact they are often more passionate than most people – regardless of the field they operate in.

Another that fits this mould could be Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader.

Our conversation extends to what UKIP might do at next year’s General Election.

Not that the outcome of the election appears to bother him much.

“It bores me a little, if I’m honest” he says.

“These days I’m far more interested in the orchard I’ve just planted – 600 plum trees in a former scrapyard. That will be somewhere for my children to go and enjoy when they’re older,” he says.

So, does he have anything entrepreneurial in mind for the orchard’s harvest, I ask – a new cider to serve in his restaurants perhaps?

“No!” he replies emphatically, “Absolutely not!”

Maybe he is just a big softy after all.

 

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