Is anyone watching this legend? Is anyone watching the pansies he has to deal with and yet they manage to get out 76 dinners of three courses. At least they have so far. The real reason I am writing this though relates to the fact that when I read Chef White’s “The Devil in the Kitchen” I immediately recognized some of the qualities that you have to have in order to get to the elevated strata and rarified position that he did.
Now I turn on the PVR and watch with glee as he both elevates and denigrates these show biz wannabe’s. These people who of their own accord have done something with their lives but decided for whatever reason to jump into his kitchen.
I watch astounded as Chef White marches around the kitchen. As he explains a dish or a concept to them. I feel comfortable watching it as I go through this everyday. I have also watched with glee as the less than amazing kid (so unimportant I don’t even remember his name) who is a cry baby is beat up by his own lack of and force of will. CLEARLY NOT KITCHEN MATERIAL.
The glare. The stare. The voice. The shaken reserve. The steady resolve. I can see them when I watch Chef White work the kitchen. Work this rag tag crew. And I admire him for it. Because it really is, ultimately his ass on the line, and while the producers would not let it fail, I think what is more important and telling is that HE won’t let them fail. And that to me is heart warming and endearing.
At any rate, if none of you have watched Marco Pierre White’s Hell’s Kitchen I strongly recommend it.
Marco Pierre White once said; " Looking back, I realize that it was my love of nature which gave me the understanding of natural ingredients. Mother Nature [sic] is the true artist, and the chef is merely the technician. " I hope to be a great technician.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Showing posts with label The Devil in the Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Devil in the Kitchen. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Marco Pierre White (L’enfant Terrible and Modern Day Epicurus)
I’ve just now finished reading Marco Pierre White’s incredible autobiography entitled “The Devil in the Kitchen” and I am firmly convinced that he is one of the best chefs the world has ever known and, to my mind, a modern day Epicurus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus).
From humble beginnings Chef White rose to become the most successful Chef in Britain and quite possibly the world. To put this in perspective Chef White has worked with the finest names in gastronomy (a point I will elaborate on later) and at the tender age of 33 (coincidence with my decision to join a kitchen???) was awarded the highest possible acclaim that any Chef can aspire to. He was awarded the highest honour of 3 Michelin Stars as well as five red forks and knives that relates to service, ambiance, décor, etc. His restaurants have consistently put out amazing dishes and have always attracted the highest strata of clientele. But I digress; I need to explain how he got there first.
Chef White was born in 1961 in Leeds. His father was a Chef at a hotel not far from where he grew up and a greyhound gambler and his mother was the duteous wife who took care of he and his brothers. His mother died in front of him at the tender age of six and this would have an enormous impact on his life in numerous ways. The first being obvious, he lacked the necessary motherly influence that all boys need. Secondly, his father was unable to cope with the stresses of raising the boys on his own and had to send his youngest brother to be raised by his mothers’ family in Italy.
Early on Chef White nurtured a flair for fantastic business acumen, including selling one of his fathers prized dogs for a profit, without his fathers knowledge or consent. This gave way to his getting an appetite for business. A fateful conversation with his father as a young man would lead to his decision to pursue the glorious pursuit. His father advised him that e should become a Chef because; “People were always going to need to be fed.” Running with this Chef White began a marvelous journey that lasted 21 years and quite possibly 109,000 hours at 100 hours a week. (Thinking about it now, I know I have enough Uber human strength to pull the work ethic off)
I am uncertain as to whether it was extraordinary timing and a bit of luck or a lot of luck and good timing but Chef White was able to parlay each experience he had into another that was positive and rewarding. I would also like to state at this point that Edison once said; “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.” Chef White rose through the ranks with a tireless work ethic, an eye for detail and a passion for the pursuit of excellence, at first as defined by others, and then in time, as defined by himself.
His storied career took him from Leeds, to the Box Tree at the ripe age of eighteen (http://www.theboxtree.co.uk/) where he really excelled and developed his personal flair. I’m not sure if this where he came up with the following belief but I do know that it has served him (and doubtless every other Chef well); “A recipe is one thing, but METHOD is another. It’s about understanding and questioning what you are trying to do.” The Box Tree revealed to him what the world of Cheffing could be like. Both with its ups and downs and of the harsh brutality of the industry.
After leaving the Box Tree he looked at both Chewton Glen (as I mentioned in my previous post) and Le Gavroche (http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/). In “ The Devil in the Kitchen,” Chef White explains that when the application form for Le Gavroche arrived and it was all written in French he took that as a sign that they only wanted French Chefs and as such had then turned his attention to Chewton Glen. I assume after some somber thought while he was in London (and another once of those chance, luck time continuums) he missed his train home and decided that as he was in London he would walk over to Le Gavroche and see what was what. When he got there it was virtually empty but was told that he could go to Roux Brothers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Roux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Roux) HQ.
Upon walking into Albert Roux’s office and asking for a job the interview was quite simple. He was asked where he had worked and upon mentioning the Box Tree and eighteen months of service there was told to go home and get his things and report back on Monday. Doing this was the best decision a young Chef could have made.
The Roux Brothers, especially Albert had a tremendous influence of Chef White and aided him to see everything that he needed in order to become the best in the world. From the Roux Brothers he ended up with Pierre Koffmann at the renowned La Tainte Claire. Each step was monumental in forming the man, the chef and what he certainly will be known as the legend. In every way as important as Escoffier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Escoffier) is. His experiences with Koffmann led him to the venerable and insanely talented Raymond Blanc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Blanc) at Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons (http://www.manoir.com/web/olem/olem_a2a_home.jsp) which you’ll recall I wrote about his cookbook in the post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/brunch-smiles-are-free.html and then with Nico Ladenis (http://www.chefdb.com/nm/6380/ ) at Chez Nico.
The last two paragraphs outline perhaps the greatest possible training that a Chef could ever want or receive. He worked under and with legends that recognized his work ethic, passion, drive and talent and one step always led to the next. The above names are legends, originators, re-inventors if you will, of the highest order. Each had a definite and defined impact on the life of Chef White and I believe it shows.
As so often happens in moments of unparalleled serendipity, Chef White was the product of legends to become one himself. THAT HAS TO FILTER DOWN. There has to be an equal and opposite reaction. As a result, the many Michelin Starred Chefs that have been a product of Chef White’s influence reads like a who’s who of the modern gastronomic world;
Of Babbo and Del Posto fame (http://www.mariobatali.com/ ) Mario Batali
Of The Fat Duck (http://www.fatduck.co.uk/ ) fame is Heston Blumenthal
Of the Capital Group (http://www.capitalhotel.co.uk/restaurantbar_eric.html ) Eric Chavot
Of Aubergine and Hell’s Kitchen fame Gordon Ramsay (http://www.gordonramsay.com/ )
Neither of these lists is exhaustive by any stretch but it does illustrate the point that genius comes together and produces something spectacular and what a ride it must have been.
Naturally for success there has to be failure and one of the things that I learned from reading Chef White is that failure has to be your guide. Through the little glances into his world I can see that he is much more reflective that people thought (my assumption) and that he has quite a head on his shoulders apart from the flame.
After reading “The Devil in the Kitchen” I have a newly formed desire to be the best. Not just good. The best! It is within reach. It is possible and from reading Chef White’s book I get the necessary ambition, energy, drive, passion, skill and talent that it will take to do it. BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
I strongly recommend that you read this book for yourself. I finished it in a day and a half and that is with the very little amount of time that I have.
On a personal note (like they all aren’t here, a duh) I would like to express my profound respect to Chef White for having accomplished the “impossible.” Your lead has made it maybe a step easier or harder I’m not sure which yet for me to get to where I want to be. I am inspired and enthralled by everything you have done and can finally see in an experiential way what needs to get done, both personally and professionally. Thank you for your lead and your example. It is AMAZING.
I have a couple more posts to write today so I think that is as good a place as any to end this one. But as usual, Epicurus once said; “You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
BE INSPIRED AND DREAM BIG TODAY!
A la prochaine
SDM
From humble beginnings Chef White rose to become the most successful Chef in Britain and quite possibly the world. To put this in perspective Chef White has worked with the finest names in gastronomy (a point I will elaborate on later) and at the tender age of 33 (coincidence with my decision to join a kitchen???) was awarded the highest possible acclaim that any Chef can aspire to. He was awarded the highest honour of 3 Michelin Stars as well as five red forks and knives that relates to service, ambiance, décor, etc. His restaurants have consistently put out amazing dishes and have always attracted the highest strata of clientele. But I digress; I need to explain how he got there first.
Chef White was born in 1961 in Leeds. His father was a Chef at a hotel not far from where he grew up and a greyhound gambler and his mother was the duteous wife who took care of he and his brothers. His mother died in front of him at the tender age of six and this would have an enormous impact on his life in numerous ways. The first being obvious, he lacked the necessary motherly influence that all boys need. Secondly, his father was unable to cope with the stresses of raising the boys on his own and had to send his youngest brother to be raised by his mothers’ family in Italy.
Early on Chef White nurtured a flair for fantastic business acumen, including selling one of his fathers prized dogs for a profit, without his fathers knowledge or consent. This gave way to his getting an appetite for business. A fateful conversation with his father as a young man would lead to his decision to pursue the glorious pursuit. His father advised him that e should become a Chef because; “People were always going to need to be fed.” Running with this Chef White began a marvelous journey that lasted 21 years and quite possibly 109,000 hours at 100 hours a week. (Thinking about it now, I know I have enough Uber human strength to pull the work ethic off)
I am uncertain as to whether it was extraordinary timing and a bit of luck or a lot of luck and good timing but Chef White was able to parlay each experience he had into another that was positive and rewarding. I would also like to state at this point that Edison once said; “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.” Chef White rose through the ranks with a tireless work ethic, an eye for detail and a passion for the pursuit of excellence, at first as defined by others, and then in time, as defined by himself.
His storied career took him from Leeds, to the Box Tree at the ripe age of eighteen (http://www.theboxtree.co.uk/) where he really excelled and developed his personal flair. I’m not sure if this where he came up with the following belief but I do know that it has served him (and doubtless every other Chef well); “A recipe is one thing, but METHOD is another. It’s about understanding and questioning what you are trying to do.” The Box Tree revealed to him what the world of Cheffing could be like. Both with its ups and downs and of the harsh brutality of the industry.
After leaving the Box Tree he looked at both Chewton Glen (as I mentioned in my previous post) and Le Gavroche (http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/). In “ The Devil in the Kitchen,” Chef White explains that when the application form for Le Gavroche arrived and it was all written in French he took that as a sign that they only wanted French Chefs and as such had then turned his attention to Chewton Glen. I assume after some somber thought while he was in London (and another once of those chance, luck time continuums) he missed his train home and decided that as he was in London he would walk over to Le Gavroche and see what was what. When he got there it was virtually empty but was told that he could go to Roux Brothers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Roux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Roux) HQ.
Upon walking into Albert Roux’s office and asking for a job the interview was quite simple. He was asked where he had worked and upon mentioning the Box Tree and eighteen months of service there was told to go home and get his things and report back on Monday. Doing this was the best decision a young Chef could have made.
The Roux Brothers, especially Albert had a tremendous influence of Chef White and aided him to see everything that he needed in order to become the best in the world. From the Roux Brothers he ended up with Pierre Koffmann at the renowned La Tainte Claire. Each step was monumental in forming the man, the chef and what he certainly will be known as the legend. In every way as important as Escoffier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Escoffier) is. His experiences with Koffmann led him to the venerable and insanely talented Raymond Blanc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Blanc) at Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons (http://www.manoir.com/web/olem/olem_a2a_home.jsp) which you’ll recall I wrote about his cookbook in the post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/brunch-smiles-are-free.html and then with Nico Ladenis (http://www.chefdb.com/nm/6380/ ) at Chez Nico.
The last two paragraphs outline perhaps the greatest possible training that a Chef could ever want or receive. He worked under and with legends that recognized his work ethic, passion, drive and talent and one step always led to the next. The above names are legends, originators, re-inventors if you will, of the highest order. Each had a definite and defined impact on the life of Chef White and I believe it shows.
As so often happens in moments of unparalleled serendipity, Chef White was the product of legends to become one himself. THAT HAS TO FILTER DOWN. There has to be an equal and opposite reaction. As a result, the many Michelin Starred Chefs that have been a product of Chef White’s influence reads like a who’s who of the modern gastronomic world;
Of Babbo and Del Posto fame (http://www.mariobatali.com/ ) Mario Batali
Of The Fat Duck (http://www.fatduck.co.uk/ ) fame is Heston Blumenthal
Of the Capital Group (http://www.capitalhotel.co.uk/restaurantbar_eric.html ) Eric Chavot
Of Aubergine and Hell’s Kitchen fame Gordon Ramsay (http://www.gordonramsay.com/ )
Neither of these lists is exhaustive by any stretch but it does illustrate the point that genius comes together and produces something spectacular and what a ride it must have been.
Naturally for success there has to be failure and one of the things that I learned from reading Chef White is that failure has to be your guide. Through the little glances into his world I can see that he is much more reflective that people thought (my assumption) and that he has quite a head on his shoulders apart from the flame.
After reading “The Devil in the Kitchen” I have a newly formed desire to be the best. Not just good. The best! It is within reach. It is possible and from reading Chef White’s book I get the necessary ambition, energy, drive, passion, skill and talent that it will take to do it. BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
I strongly recommend that you read this book for yourself. I finished it in a day and a half and that is with the very little amount of time that I have.
On a personal note (like they all aren’t here, a duh) I would like to express my profound respect to Chef White for having accomplished the “impossible.” Your lead has made it maybe a step easier or harder I’m not sure which yet for me to get to where I want to be. I am inspired and enthralled by everything you have done and can finally see in an experiential way what needs to get done, both personally and professionally. Thank you for your lead and your example. It is AMAZING.
I have a couple more posts to write today so I think that is as good a place as any to end this one. But as usual, Epicurus once said; “You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
BE INSPIRED AND DREAM BIG TODAY!
A la prochaine
SDM
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Marco Pierre White (file under craziness)
You’ll remember that in this post (http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/snow-day-if-youre-not-cook.html ) I had asked Head Chef who one of his greatest influences was and that he answered Marco Pierre White. Well Executive Chef loaned me Chef White’s book “The Devil in the Kitchen” the other day. I’m only about a third of the way through it but I have a profound respect for him and what he has accomplished. In that post mentioned above I had brought up that Chef White had made Gordon Ramsey cry. Well there is so much more to this man and indeed the Chef than just that. I will be back later to write more about his experiences and what I have gleaned from the book but so far I am absolutely enthralled by his dedication, drive, talent and desire to prove something to himself.
I too am trying to prove something to myself (and perhaps a choice few others) which is why I am on the track that I am now.
At one of his amazing restaurants, The Oak Room, Chef White chose to quote Salvador Dali on the menu; “At six I wanted to be a chef, at seven: Napoleon, and my ambitions have been growing ever since.” I think that this probably sums up his philosophy and ethic quite nicely (Chef White that is).
What are your ambitions?
Dream Big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
I too am trying to prove something to myself (and perhaps a choice few others) which is why I am on the track that I am now.
At one of his amazing restaurants, The Oak Room, Chef White chose to quote Salvador Dali on the menu; “At six I wanted to be a chef, at seven: Napoleon, and my ambitions have been growing ever since.” I think that this probably sums up his philosophy and ethic quite nicely (Chef White that is).
What are your ambitions?
Dream Big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
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