MPW comes out of retirement

[Pweaver1984]

Noticed this LINK whilst on the media thread.

Whats peoples views?

[Jon Tseng]

He's a legend.

[Matthew Grant]

I don't know whether to jump for joy or cry! Where do I apply?

[algy]

sounds a good idea. These days he's much better at shouting than cooking.

[ravelda]

I saw this in the press too, and I must admit I was shocked. I saw him recently and the guy just looked a total state. I know there have been rumours about another affair and a potential break up in his marriage, so one wonders if with this and Frankies not doing as well as hoped if he is after the money again. I certainly goes against several interviews he has done of late where when asked about cooking he said he now loathes it and has no pasion for it any more. It would be interesting to see the same format as when they had Novelli vs Rhodes on Hell's Kitchen, but with Marco vs Gordon.

I thought that Ramsay owned the rights to the show as well, and if so, does that not mean that Marco will now in essence be working for him? If so it would be an interesting turnaround!

I also hear in the rumour mill that Marco is planning on going back into the kitchen at his restaurants and potentially opening another one - any one else heard this?

[Matthew Grant]

I saw an article recently (I forget where) that briefly specualted on his financial situation, apparently actually trying to find out how many restuarants he owns is not easy and the The Sunday Times rich list removed him from the list as they were unable to trace any significant assets. He would only say that he had "an interest" in restaurants when quizzed and said that he sometimes lent his name to them to help out friends.

[naebody]

"The man who supposedly made Ramsey (sic) cry" ... Judging by Walnuts' presenting stint on Have I Got News for You over the weekend, that doesn't actually look all that difficult. Just ask him to read a punchline out loud.

Seems a logical move, given it would give another puff of oxygen to MPW's deflated reputation ("the first ever" ... etc. etc.) which has been his only source of income for the best part of two decades. And he has clearly been struggling to achieve his ambition of becoming an Oliver Peyton or a Nick Jones, so probably could use the cash.

I just wonder if the production company will realise there's a difference between Gordon's TV-friendy pantomime villain/evangelical preacher act, and MPW's legendary volatility. Could be worth watching, if only to see if he makes it to episode 2.

Edited October 17, 2006 by naebody (log)

[ravelda]

" saw an article recently (I forget where) that briefly specualted on his financial situation, apparently actually trying to find out how many restuarants he owns is not easy and the The Sunday Times rich list removed him from the list as they were unable to trace any significant assets. He would only say that he had "an interest" in restaurants when quizzed and said that he sometimes lent his name to them to help out friends"

I know that he has been a minor shraeholder in a few operations and with what seems like rather "colourful" characters!

[Matthew Grant]

After so long out the kitchen his feet will ache so I doubt he'll make it to the end

[ravelda]

Lol, very true Matthew!

I do wonder if someone who seems to have lost all passion in cooking, seem only to be chasing money, and have put their body through the mill like he has with alcohol etc can really ever compete at the top level now. I mean, even though in his day he was a legen, is that enough now, cuisine has moved on so much.......

One thing is for sure, it will make interesting viewing - I wonder when it will hit our screens?

[algy]

Seems a logical move, given it would give another puff of oxygen to MPW's deflated reputation ("the first ever" ... etc. etc.) which has been his only source of income for the best part of two decades.

←

think that there may be a "legitimate" missing from that paragraph somewhere.

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

He was rated 6th richest chef in Britain in a recentish Indie article...(snippet below) so I doubt he's desperate for money.

Having just read his book, I am absolutely amazed (and a tad disappointed) he is willing to jump on the media bandwagon again though.

"6. MARCO PIERRE WHITE, 45

Worth: £10m

Profile: The original celebrity chef. After arriving in London aged 16, the Leeds-born Yorkshireman raised on a council estate worked under Albert Roux and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche and Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, before opening Harvey's in Wandsworth (the acclaimed Chez Bruce now stands on the site). White became known for his food and his temper, and trained the young Gordon Ramsay. He now runs nine restaurants in the capital (four with the jockey Frankie Dettori) and three country inns.

Restaurants: Quo Vadis; Mirabelle; L'Escargot; Drones; Belvedere; Frankie's at Criterion, plus three other Frankie's (Knightsbridge, Chiswick and Putney); Highwayman Inn, Oxon; Yew Tree, Berks; The Talkhouse, Oxon

TV shows: None

Books: White Heat (1990); Wild Food from Land and Sea (1994); Canteen Cuisine (1995); The Mirabelle Cookbook (1999); The Star Chef's Cookbook (2002); White Slave (2006)

Other commercial interests: White endorses Beka cookware, which sells at Selfridges and Harrods for between £50 and £250 a piece.

Personal interests: Fishing, deer stalking

Accolades: First British-born chef and youngest in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars.

Finances: In an interview with The Observer last year, White insisted that, despite running restaurants, he did not own anything. However, Companies House shows that he is a director of five businesses - Ota Resources, Sellican, Marco Pierre White Catering, Dettori International and Baker's Dozen. He has a 50 per cent stake in the "general commercial company" Sellican, which has assets of £1.8m, and a 40 per cent stake in Ota Resources, which has assets of £1.6m and made a profit of £2.6m in the year to March 2004. He also has a 23 per cent stake in MPW Catering, which has not yet filed accounts. Last year, Baker's Dozen made a profit of £120,000. White has a house in Holland Park, London."

[ravelda]

It may be that he is worth that level, but he spends an awful lot of cash, and his holdings in most of the companies tend to be quite low. You would be amazed how many people who on paper should be very wealthy actually are not due to their spending habits. I know several celebrities who have had payouts totalling well over £20m who only have around £1 million left

[naebody]

Seems a logical move, given it would give another puff of oxygen to MPW's deflated reputation ("the first ever" ... etc. etc.) which has been his only source of income for the best part of two decades.

←

think that there may be a "legitimate" missing from that paragraph somewhere.

←

I certainly hope you're not suggesting that the business interests of a Leeds-born Anglo-Italian restaurateur with connections to the horse racing industry may not adhere to the most rigorous standards of practice. I'm sure such a thing would never happen in the catering industry.

[algy]

Seems a logical move, given it would give another puff of oxygen to MPW's deflated reputation ("the first ever" ... etc. etc.) which has been his only source of income for the best part of two decades.

←

think that there may be a "legitimate" missing from that paragraph somewhere.

←

I certainly hope you're not suggesting that the business interests of a Leeds-born Anglo-Italian restaurateur with connections to the horse racing industry may not adhere to the most rigorous standards of practice. I'm sure such a thing would never happen in the catering industry.

←

you're absolutely right. The word "allegedly" was inadvertently omitted from my post.

[jayrayner]

" saw an article recently (I forget where) that briefly specualted on his financial situation, apparently actually trying to find out how many restuarants he owns is not easy

←

I think that was mine: I spent the best part of a day with him trying to find out what he owns. Came up with a blank. Eventually we published this (and forgive the longish quite; I think it's illuminating to the discussion):

Trying to get to the bottom of Marco's business empire is like trying to follow one of his recipes: a job only for the professional. As long ago as 2001 it was announced that he was stepping down from the company that owned the Mirabelle, Quo Vadis and all the others, but that he would remain as a shareholder and consultant. His long time business partner, the restaurateur Jimmy Lahoud, is certainly still involved and the accounts of the various companies that Lahoud and Marco have been a part of regularly refer to personal loans made by the men to those companies, and consultancy fees going back the other way, but those only give a snapshot of what has been.

It is certainly the case that a very complex network of companies is involved, so complex indeed that many experts have given up trying to ascertain his value. Marco was estimated to be worth £50m in the Sunday Times rich list for 1999. In 2000 that was down to £35m, and he disappeared altogether the following year.

'I've been unable to see evidence of the profits to justify his inclusion in the list,' said Philip Beresford, who compiles the list, at the time, and Beresford kept him out again this year. In the past Marco has happily allowed the media to describe him as the proprietor of the restaurants in his group. What's changed is that he no longer does so, preferring instead to refer elliptically to his 'interests in restaurants'.

The only thing I could ascertain from his furious scribbling in my notebook is that a share of the companies with which he is involved goes to an offshore trust. He does not own that trust but he does control how that block of shares votes on important issues. As he says, absolutely correctly, he does not own the restaurants. But he has a bloody big say in what happens to them.

[Matthew Grant]

The Man With the Dough

[ravelda]

Thanks for the update Jay, interesting piece.

[Matthew Grant]

Ah! my cross post with Jay actually made sense!

[beandork]

I certainly goes against several interviews he has done of late where when asked about cooking he said he now loathes it and has no pasion for it any more. 

←

just as long as he still has a passion for tormenting underlings I'm gonna love watching this

[ravelda]

Is that something that you can ever loose a passion for beandork?

[Matthew Grant]

From Jay's Article:

He cheers up when Harry suggests Marco and I be photographed together. Immediately Marco says, 'We should hold hands', and he takes mine firmly in his. So I stand there, shoulder to shoulder with this huge man, thinking we must look like two big gay bears and cursing myself. The whole point of this was not to let him seduce me. I was not meant to be bowled over. Instead I'm standing here looking like I'm now his bitch. And it didn't cost him a single drop of Château d'Yquem, let alone two bottles. I have been firmly Marcoed. It is, I decide, time to go home.

Judging from his appearance on Cooking It last night Jay really has been "Marcoed" to the point of trying to look like him. I haven't seen you for a while, I didn't recognise you, it makes you look a lot younger!

[jayrayner]

From Jay's Article:

He cheers up when Harry suggests Marco and I be photographed together. Immediately Marco says, 'We should hold hands', and he takes mine firmly in his. So I stand there, shoulder to shoulder with this huge man, thinking we must look like two big gay bears and cursing myself. The whole point of this was not to let him seduce me. I was not meant to be bowled over. Instead I'm standing here looking like I'm now his bitch. And it didn't cost him a single drop of Château d'Yquem, let alone two bottles. I have been firmly Marcoed. It is, I decide, time to go home.

Judging from his appearance on Cooking It last night Jay really has been "Marcoed" to the point of trying to look like him. I haven't seen you for a while, I didn't recognise you, it makes you look a lot younger!

←

Yes. I'm 23 now.

[Magnus Lindgren]

I cant wait

i think marco will do it better than ramsay in every aspect. Ramsay got no humor or self distance whatsoever and as marina said it "the most soulless cooking ever" good winter for telly Marco in hells kitchen and Heston in serch for perfection.

Marco will do his long awaited comeback to cooking. oo i always wanted to write those words

Magnus

[Matthew Grant]

I cant wait

i think marco will do it better than ramsay in every aspect. Ramsay got no humor or self distance whatsoever and as marina said it "the most soulless cooking ever" good winter for telly Marco in hells kitchen and Heston in serch for perfection.

Marco will do his long awaited comeback to cooking. oo i always wanted to write those words 

Magnus

←

I too look forward to seeing Marco in the kitchen but I'm not sure that he is likely to exhibit a greater sense of humour than Ramsay in the kitchen, if anything he had a more fearsome reputation than Ramsay