Marco Pierre White

Marco Pierre White was born in a small town near Leeds in 1961. Since his grandfather and his father were both chefs and his mother was a great cook, it was no surprise that his first job was in a kitchen. He was 16.

On his first day at the Hotel St George in Harrogate he was ordered to blanch, peel and deseed five boxes of tomatoes. Life, he discovered, was tough in the kitchen.

His next job was to change his life. The Box Tree in Ilkley, Yorkshire was opened in 1962 by Malcolm Reid and Colin Long and was awarded two Michelin stars.

Next, Marco moved to London and to a couple of restaurants boasting two Michelin Stars each. At Le Gavroche, run by Albert Roux, Marco began his classical training as a commis chef before joining Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire. Raymond Blanc encouraged Marco to pursue his own passions and philosophy about food.

Raymond Blanc encouraged Marco to pursue his own passions and philosophy about food.

At 24, Marco became Head Chef and joint owner of Harveys with a kitchen staff that included the young Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. He was awarded his third Michelin star at the age of 33 - the first British and youngest chef ever to achieve this.

Over the years, his restaurant empire has included some of London’s finest restaurants including the Criterion, Mirabelle, L’Escargot Quo Vardis and Luciano.