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MPW comes out of retirement

Pweaver1984
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Tim Hayward

Tim Hayward

Posted
Posted
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."

This is the article that provoked so much bitter debate on various foodboards. It speaks volumes for the quality of research the Independent is putting into a piece like this if it can be entirely undermined by Jay's interview which, as far as I can tell, was not primarily intended to be a financial/investigatory piece. How the Hell did the Indy do this? Half an hour on Wikipedia?

Tim Hayward

"Anyone who wants to write about food would do well to stay away from

similes and metaphors, because if you're not careful, expressions like

'light as a feather' make their way into your sentences and then where are you?"

Nora Ephron

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Tim Hayward

Tim Hayward

Posted
Posted

Thank God! They're going to replace that arrogant, superannuated, scrotum-faced, bullying popinjay with .....

...Oh dear!

Tim Hayward

"Anyone who wants to write about food would do well to stay away from

similes and metaphors, because if you're not careful, expressions like

'light as a feather' make their way into your sentences and then where are you?"

Nora Ephron

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Jon Tseng

Jon Tseng

Posted
Posted (edited)
"And he slammed celebrity chefs who put their names to expensive restaurants but never cook there"

... said the former partner in The Criterion Marco Pierre White and Mirabelle Marco Pierre White.

Loved the scallops and sauce nero, but boy does he look a bit of a plonker now...

Edited by Jon Tseng (log)
More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
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ravelda

ravelda

Posted
Posted

I am still struggling with Marco's decision here - especially following his autobiography where he states that eh now hates the kitchen and has no passion for cooking! Clearly it is the passion for cash, fame and having more people to bully that is motivating him!

If a man makes a statement and a woman is not around to witness it, is he still wrong?

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ravelda

ravelda

Posted
Posted

As Jamie has done 15 and then his school dinners campaign, and Gordon has done his getting people (ok mainly women) back into the kitchen cooking, I wonder what cahritable act MPW would do - answers on the back of a postcard!

If a man makes a statement and a woman is not around to witness it, is he still wrong?

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Scott

Scott

Posted
Posted (edited)
As Jamie has done 15 and then his school dinners campaign, and Gordon has done his getting people (ok mainly women) back into the kitchen cooking, I wonder what cahritable act MPW would do - answers on the back of a postcard!

make no mistake Marco is an arse.

he's also twice the cook either of these guys are - and perfect for car crash television- as he knows it!!

Edited by Scott (log)

A meal without wine is... well, erm, what is that like?

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Romaney O'Malley

Romaney O'Malley

Posted
Posted
As Jamie has done 15 and then his school dinners campaign, and Gordon has done his getting people (ok mainly women) back into the kitchen cooking, I wonder what cahritable act MPW would do - answers on the back of a postcard!

on what basis was Gordon's 'get women back into the kitchen' with immeasurable results a 'charitable act' ??

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RDB

RDB

Posted
Posted

I am really looking forward to this to! I think MPW in the day was a bit of a legend, not sure how he will come across now though. I like his views on Saint Jamie, anyone who criticises the 'sacred one' is fine by me. Seeing this is a celebrity hells kitchen, I hope he is very aggressive and bullying, I do enjoy a bit of celebrity bashing :biggrin:

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sunbeam

sunbeam

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Posted

I'm not surprised MPW was evasive when quizzed by a journo about his financial situation. Who on earth would be anything else? One's finances, like one's sexual fantasies, are not something you want broadcast to the world. We all have our dark little secrets.

And as for Hells Kitchen, why not? Money and the chance to be on TV.

Giles Coren has just signed up to advertise Birds Eye products on telly for the same reasons. Who can blame him? Although he has muttered some obligatory eyewash about believing in the product etc.

S

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Tim Hayward

Tim Hayward

Posted
Posted (edited)
I'm not surprised MPW was evasive when quizzed by a journo about his financial situation. Who on earth would be anything else? One's finances, like one's sexual fantasies, are not something you want broadcast to the world. We all have our dark little secrets.

And as for Hells Kitchen, why not? Money and the chance to be on TV.

Giles Coren has just signed up to advertise Birds Eye products on telly for the same reasons. Who can blame him? Although he has muttered some obligatory eyewash about believing in the product etc.

S

:laugh:

Edited by Tim Hayward (log)

Tim Hayward

"Anyone who wants to write about food would do well to stay away from

similes and metaphors, because if you're not careful, expressions like

'light as a feather' make their way into your sentences and then where are you?"

Nora Ephron

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