Gary Rhodes, OBE

Gary Rhodes OBE

From WIkipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Rhodes

[1] (born 22 April 1960) is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style (which has since been shaved off).

He has fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. In 2006 he competed 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.

Rhodes can now be seen on the new ITV1 programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the UKTV Food show Local Food Hero and in television adverts for Flora margarine, some of which featured him "driving a van topped with a giant styrofoam crumpet" which were banned.[2]

Early years

Born in south London in 1960, his family moved to Gillingham where he went to The Howard School for Boys in Rainham, Kent. He then went on to catering college in Thanet where he met his wife Jennie.

Career

Rhodes in 2008His first job was at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel. He was hit by a transit van in Amsterdam leaving him with serious injuries. 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, earning it a Michelin Star in 2001.[3]

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.

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 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.

Based primarily at Rhodes Twenty Four in one of London's tallest buildings, Tower 42, Gary also owns Arcadian Rhodes on the P&O superliner Arcadia, Cumberland Rhodes, and Rhodes Calabash, in Grenada. He is also a contributor to BBC Good Food magazine.

His first TV appearance was at the age of 27, courtesy of Glynn Christian on Hot Chefs. This led to Rhodes Around Britain and Gary's Perfect Christmas.

For two seasons, 2000 and 2001, Rhodes hosted the original MasterChef USA on PBS.

Rhodes has appeared on the BBC2 spoof game show Shooting Stars, during which hosts Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer asked him to 'represent fire through the medium of dance'.

He was created an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006.

Rhodes has recently completed the series Rhodes Across India with apprentices Bushra Akram, Scott Davis and Kalwant Sahota.

Rhodes has also completed a new series exploring Chinese cuisine called Rhodes Across China with Sous Chefs Melissa Syers and Teresa Tsang. 29 July 2008

Gary Rhodes was strongly criticised for his commercial tie in with Tate & Lyle in the late 1990s, and his recipes endorsed sugar and treacle products accordingly. His name was strategically printed on every Tate & Lyle sugar sachet across the country. Interestingly, he is now associated with a Cooking In Schools campaign with Flora UK.

Strictly Come Dancing

Rhodes competed with partner Karen Hardy in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing which began on 20 September 2008.

On 5 October 2008, Rhodes was voted off Strictly Come Dancing.

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Horwood Phillips Goodman Tonioli Total 1 Cha-Cha-Cha / Hippy Hippy Shake 1 5 6 5 17 Last place & Safe 3 Jive / Lipstick, Powder and Paint 3 4 6 5 18 Last place & Eliminated

Restaurants

Rhodes W1, Cumberland Hotel – Restaurant 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 Restaurant in Dublin – now closed Rhodes Mezzanine , [ Grosvenor House ] , [ Dubai – United Arab Emirates ] Rhodes Twenty10 , [ Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa ] , [ Dubai – United Arab Emirates ] [edit] External linksOfficial website The Calabash Hotel, Grenada Rhodes W1, London Rhodes 24, London itv.com – Saturday Cooks!

References

1.^ London Gazette: no. 58014. p. 10. 17 June 2006. 2.^ Hayward, Tim (25 February 2009). "Rhodes to perdition". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/feb/25/gary.... Retrieved 3 May 2010. 3.^ Sven-Erik Bergh, ed (1993). Bergh's International Annual Digest of Gastronomy '93/94: All About Cookery and Wine. Bergh Publishing Group. p. 105. ISBN 9780930267377.