Posts Tagged “celebrity chefs”
He is, for many of us, the face of Vietnamese food and travel. His easy manner allows him to present informative yet engaging TV programmes showing Vietnam, its food and its people in a positive and inclusive fashion. Luke was in London to promote his latest book, The Food of Vietnam (see my review here),…
Café Spice Namaste is an icon of Indian food. It’s a beacon of culinary hope around the corner from The Tower of London. It’s a haunt of discerning businessmen, stars of film and the small screen, and indeed anyone who enjoys vibrant food and friendly service. Chef Cyrus Todiwala and his partner in life and…
The world loves chocolate, and combine that with a dashing chef with a rich French accent and recipes for goods that have graced many a French patisserie window, and one has the makings of a successful cookbook. Yes, it’s true that one can’t actually hear Eric’s Gallic tones but one can imagine. Eric has impeccable…
Bo London will be the next venture headed by “demon chef” Alvin Leung. He could just as easily be described as “the Man in Black” due to his habitual costume, although not his personality. He is an easy chap to like, with a dry sense of humour and engaging manner. He was in the UK…
Britain is an island. So it goes without saying that we are surrounded by water and have had a close relationship with the sea. Surprising, therefore, that are still so many of us who are not fish eaters. Home cooks have not had a good reputation for preparing tasty fish, and we so often resort…
He hasn’t got a ‘serious’ chef persona. Willin rushes in and tells me to wait right there. He has some curry puffs that he wants me to taste. Just simple food and not even his, but Willin Low has not only talent but real passion for taste and texture. We settle in the courtyard of…
We want comforting food. It’s cold and wintery and the economic climate isn’t that hot either. It’s time to get back to those old-fashioned values. Gennaro Contaldo introduces us to his Italian family favourites in Let’s Cook Italian. They do travel rather well, and they are delicious. Gennaro often graces our TV screens, sometimes in…
Pierre Hermé is the fourth generation of a family of bakers from Alsace in France. He has been working and learning his trade since he was just 14 years old, when he started as a lowly apprentice. He was in Paris with the celebrated pâtissier, Gaston Lenôtre, who was to become Pierre’s greatest professional influence….
Maria Elia is a chef who has graced our small screens and headed restaurant kitchens, and she has also penned several delightful cookbooks. Maria isn’t a vegetarian evangelist but The Modern Vegetarian reflects her passion for flavourful food and in this case those dishes just happen to be sans meat. We know we should all…
There are several worthy Indian restaurant groups in London. I shrink from calling them chains as that tends to denote an overly-casual concept and perhaps a tendency towards iffy food. These prestigious Indian restaurant collections have over the past decade elevated our perceptions of Indian food beyond measure. Cinnamon Group is a trio of unique…
Maria Elia is attractive, petite and has a smile that seems a permanent fixture. Her warm and relaxed demeanour is indeed a genuine facet of her character, but so is her consummate professionalism and thirst for excellence. She is a successful chef and she just happens to be a woman. I asked Maria Elia about…
One might suppose that Secrets of Indian Gastronomy is a cookbook. Yes, it is. One will assume it is packed with delicious and authentic recipes. Well, it is. One might be drawn to the conclusion that those secrets will be bizarre cooking techniques or the necessity to poach a particular exotic vegetable on a moonlit…
One would think that Valentina Harris is the quintessential English lady, well-spoken with Home Counties proper accent; but there is something else. Turn the sound off and one sees the unmistakable animation of a Latin. In fact Valentina is only on nodding terms with Englishness. “Let me explain about the English voice,” says Valentina with…
It’s a feel-good cookbook in every regard. It’s in support of The Ben Kinsella Trust, which was set up to raise awareness of knife crime after the death of young Ben. It has the comforting feel of a good old-fashioned cookbook with attractive and slightly retro graphics and simple recipes for things that one would…
There are myriad Indian cookbooks available to the European reader. Most of them are good, some of them are magnificent but all of them have something to offer. The problem is that so many of them present much the same thing. Curry-house favourites, standard restaurant items and homemade versions of your regular takeaway. Regional Cooking…
He is a Michelin-starred chef and a Roux Scholarship winner but Chef Matthew Tomkinson seems untouched by his celebrity. He is a nice bloke who loves his work, and the rest is just the proverbial icing on the well-presented cake. I asked Matthew if he came from a cheffy background. Did his family have anything…
The French Horn is iconic, quintessentially English and has a celebrated restaurant. The chef has an equally enviable reputation but she isn’t English. This is, after all the ‘French’ Horn. The owner is Michael Emmanuel and he knows what makes a good chef. “We’ve always been about good food cooked well and delivered properly. I’ve…
Will Torrent is a young chef and one of the most successful in the UK, but the name might not ring bells. He doesn’t have his own restaurant and isn’t famed f or colourful language on the small screen. He is passionate about his craft but he has a well-rounded and balanced personality and uses…
Sanjeev Kapoor is perhaps the most recognised face in India. He isn’t a Bollywood star although he probably has just as many supporters. No, he is a chef with impeccable culinary credentials and his own food TV network called Food Food. But this book appeals to lovers of chocolate across the globe. Aah! Chocolate has…
Paul Food is an eclectic and visually striking cookbook by a chef who’s a household name – Paul Cunningham. Never heard of him? Well, that just says that your household isn’t located in Copenhagen but I am sure he will find fame in the land of his birth, England. It’s that old story of passion:…