Marco Pierre White, who is often called the world's first celebrity chef, launched his latest compilation of recipes, Essentially Marco, in the UAE last week. We caught up with him at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, where he revealed his new projects, his thoughts on those all-important Michelin stars and why his new book is meant for the home cook.
Tell me about your new cookbook, Essentially Marco.
If you get just one idea out of a book, then it was worth buying that book. What people want is some inspiration. This book is for the home cook, to take inspiration.
The recipes in here are foolproof. But you’ll take an idea and you’ll adapt it to your way of working. This isn’t food on a plate because I don’t serve food on a plate. I serve it in pans. It’s about simplifying it. It’s not about trying to make things complicated.
We allow generosity to be our garnish. Serving it in the pan, that’s your presentation, rather than taking it off the bone or trying to make it more restaurant-y. It’s pointless. It doesn’t make sense.
You have a reputation of being a tough, strict chef. How accurate is that?
I’m disciplined. There’s a difference. You don’t achieve three stars without being disciplined. It’s as simple as that. In the old days, you never won three stars if you weren’t behind your stove. Today, you can win three stars and you can be on the other side of the world.
You famously gave your three Michelin stars back when you retired in 1999. Why?
The truth is, I never wanted to live a lie. I never wanted to be a chef who was not behind the stove. I believe if you have three stars from Michelin, then you have a duty to be behind the stove.
What do you think of the Michelin star system today?
Let’s be honest, you are being given awards by people who have less knowledge than you. So what’s it worth? In the old days, you had to work for your stars, so you felt that you’d earned something. Today, you might not go to your restaurant for three months and you’ve still got your stars.
People should go to a three-star restaurant where the chef is behind the stove. I’m paying a lot to dine in a three-star Michelin restaurant. If the chef is not there, it’s like you and I buying a ticket to watch Elton John in concert. We sit down, the curtain opens and there’s Elton’s number two, singing the songs, playing the piano. Are you going to be happy?
When these chefs say, “It makes no difference whether I’m there or not,” that’s not true. If you are the chef proprietor and you’re behind your stove every day of the week in your kitchen, you have consistency. If you’re not there, you can only hope that you have consistency.
What are your thoughts on fine dining restaurants, in general, that serve up multiple course meals?
You go to these restaurants and they give you 18 courses and it’s like you’re at a canapé party. The waiter tells you what it is, tells you how to eat it and then within seconds, asks whether you enjoyed it. I didn’t come here to have dinner with the waiter.
The most important [thing] for me, is actually the person I’m sitting with. Give me delicious food and be generous with it. Serve it hot and I’ll come back tomorrow night. People want to go out two or three times a week, not get dressed up and go out once a month.
Give me the perfect roast chicken, chop it up. Don’t carve it. Chop it. Put it back in its natural juices. Delicious. What more do I want?
• Essentially Marco is available in UAE bookstores for Dh165
sjohnson@thenational.ae
