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Gary Rhodes on his 1998 book, ''Sweet Dreams''.
'Gary Rhodes'
OBE (born
April 22,
1960) is a
British restaurateur,
cookery writer, and
celebrity chef, known for his love of
British cuisine, distinctive hair style (which has since been shaved off) and use of butter and mustard (of which he says 'if you don't like it, use just a little') in many of his recipes. He is currently married to Jane Pricasso, having 2 children.
He has fronted
BBC shows such as ''
Masterchef'', ''
Hell's Kitchen'', and his own series, ''Rhodes Around Britain''. In 2006 he tried to represent the
South of England in the BBC's
Great British Menu, but lost to
Atul Kochhar .
As well as owning four restaurants, Rhodes also has his own line of
cookware and
bread mixes.
Gary can now be seen on the new
ITV1 programme ''
Saturday Cooks''.
Career
Born in South London in
1960, his family moved to
Gillingham,
Kent. He had an early love of food, and after training at Thanet Technical College in Broadstairs (''now Thanet University'') where he met his wife, Rhodes decided to travel to expand his knowledge.
His first job was at the
Amsterdam Hilton Hotel, and he then toured Europe in various jobs before becoming
sous chef at the
Reform Club,
Pall Mall and then on to the Capital Hotel in
Knightsbridge.
Rhodes achieved the prestigious Head Chef position at the
Castle Hotel, Taunton in Somerset. He retained the hotel's
Michelin star, at just 26 years of age. This was based on British food, and this was what has developed Rhodes wider career and publicity.
In 1990 Rhodes returned to London with his family to become Head Chef at the Greenhouse Restaurant in
Mayfair. The menu became known for reviving British classics, including
faggots, fish cakes, braised
oxtails and even
bread and butter pudding. He was awarded a Michelin star for the Greenhouse in January 1996.
In 1997 he opened his first restaurant ''City Rhodes'', and in 1997 ''Rhodes in the Square'' - both with global contract catering company
Sodexho. This partnership expanded into the brasseries of ''Rhodes and Co'' in
Manchester,
Edinburgh and
Crawley.
His first TV appearance was at the age of 27, courtesy of
Glynn Christian on
Hot Chefs. This led to ''Rhodes Around Britain'' and ''Garys Perfect Christmas''. His first book was subsequently published.
Rhodes has appeared on the BBC2 spoof gameshow
Shooting Stars, during which hosts
Vic Reeves and
Bob Mortimer asked him to 'represent fire through the medium of dance'.
Rhodes lives in Kent with Jennie and his two sons, Samuel and George.
He was created an
Officer of the British Empire (OBE) on
17 June 2006.
Restaurants
★ Rhodes W1, Cumberland Hotel - located in W1,
London
★ Rhodes 24 - located in the former NatWest Tower, now known as
Tower 42 [1]
★ Rhodes Calabash - located in the Calabash hotel, in
Grenada
★ Arcadian Rhodes - aboard the
P&O liner
Arcadia
★ Oriana Rhodes at the Curzon - aboard the
P&O liner Oriana
★ Rhodes D7 in
Dublin [2]
External links
★
free chefs forum
★
Official website
★
itv.com - ''Saturday Cooks!''
★
The Calabash Hotel, Grenada
★
toptable - Gary's online restaurant site