A biography for Marco Pierre Whitehasn’t been written yet.
“I love the institution of marriage.”
“Remember, restaurateurs are only shopkeepers; that's all we are. It's no different from the supermarket down the road.”
“English wine is nonsense. They are over-priced and not very good.”
“One day, a chef moaned that he was too hot, so I took a carving knife in one hand, held his jacket with the other, and slashed it. Then I slashed his trousers. Both garments were still on his body at the time.”
“Buy locally where possible, but if you can't get the very best locally, don't buy locally. Buy it from where it is best.”
“'Wall Street' was the big movie of 1987, the year in which Harveys opened. It was a film about greed and self-indulgence, about hunger for success, and Michael Douglas's line, 'breakfast is for wimps,' became a mantra for anyone who wanted to get to the top.”
“The French make the best wine.”
“The only time I am seen in public is when I go to work. When I go home to England, I never leave my home.”
“You can't be a chef and appear on television all the time. It's impossible. At least when I earned my stars, I was always behind my stove.”
“I leave my emotions at home.”
“There's something rather comforting about putting on an apron.”
“We all make mistakes. God knows I've made more than anyone else I know.”
“I think self-discovery is the greatest achievement in life, because once you discover yourself and accept what you are, then you can fulfil your true potential and be happy.”
“A chef's palate is born out of his childhood, and one thing all chefs have in common is a mother who can cook.”
“Life is an emotional rollercoaster. It really is.”
“The food wasn't very good in the first kitchen I ever worked in. But it was very busy, so I learnt to be fast, absorb pressure, use a knife, and say, 'Yes, chef.'”
“Generally, I respect critics; they have their job to do.”
“The day I stopped fearing my father was the day I could enjoy him.”
“When you work for someone, you never realise how much you are learning. It is only when you leave and you reflect back on life.”
“When I look at old pictures, I see my son Luciano, not me. Luciano looks identical. That's what's extraordinary, the power of a gene pool.”