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CELEBRITY CHEF


A


s Marco Pierre White reflects on his extraordinary life and career it’s hard to imagine he was once considered the enfant terrible of the culinary world. As well as being the original kitchen genius, today he’s better known as an


inspiring mentor who counsels contestants on TV programmes such as Hell’s Kitchen and Marco’s Kitchen Burnout. He admits he’s a much mellowed character, although hints of


potential danger remain. He makes direct eye contact with barely a blink and, at times, has the predatory air of a lion about to pounce. The untamed hair and long, elegant limbs add to this somewhat primal illusion. His fashion sense is deliciously unconventional, too, mixing a dress shirt and braces with a huge apron and pinstripe trousers. His talent, it goes without saying,


technical ability and lack of confidence,” he says. “They might get a pigeon and carve the breasts and fan them out so the dish looks nothing like a pigeon anymore. I believe in allowing food to retain its natural beauty. The more you overwork it the more you take away. If I eat crab I want to taste crab; if I have tuna I want to taste tuna.” His new cookbook, Marco Made Easy, is an attempt to inspire


remains uncompromised. Within half an hour of our exclusive photoshoot at Wheelers of St James in London, Marco has disappeared into the kitchen and whipped up the four mouthwatering dishes featured on the following pages. “They’re the kind of dishes I’d serve up for my children – foolproof,


YOUR JOB WELL AND GOING INTO THE KITCHEN TO BECOME FAMOUS’


‘THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WANTING TO DO


quick and easy,” reveals Marco, 48, sipping a coffee between photographs, adding he is no fan of what he deems “pretentious food”. “I’m not exercising my ego with the dishes I’ve prepared for you today, I’m trying to inspire people to want to cook a little bit more at home. What’s important is there is no technical ability required.” Marco feels that quality is too often sacrificed for presentation. “A lot of chefs create pretty pictures on the plate to hide their lack of


those who may not consider themselves particularly skilled in the kitchen. “A good chef will give you great insight into the natural world,” says Marco. “They use beautiful ingredients that inspire them and serve them up on a plate. Actually, in reality, the most poisonous sauce in the kitchen is the chef’s ego. There’s a big difference between wanting to do your job well and going into the kitchen to become famous – I never set out to be a celebrity chef; they didn’t exist 25 years ago. I was passionate about doing my job well.”


It’s ironic that Marco, once dubbed the original rock star chef,


should be critical of prima donnas behind the stove. He famously terrorised staff at his various three-star establishments in the late 1980s and 90s – and even reduced former employee Gordon Ramsay to tears. But, the sweat and tears paid off and Marco became the youngest British-born chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. Certainly he seems to have had more success in the kitchen than


on the domestic front. He’s been married three times – the first to Alexandra McArthur lasted two years and produced a daughter, Leticia, now 21; while the second, to model Lisa Butcher, barely made it past the honeymoon. He is nearing the end of a prolonged


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