Leaving Café Spice the other Saturday night I couldn't help noticing an unusual picture amongst the rows of award certificates and glowing restaurant reviews on the wall. So I photographed it. I recognised the picture's owner, Cyrus Todiwala, of course (middle row, 2nd left). There are two other highly-rewarded and amazing modern eclectic Indian chefs sitting in the same row. Some French chap is slouching about (front left) and I'm sure I've seen that woman opposite him before, at a football match I think. Enough. I know quite a few of these faces and I've met several of them in person. But how many can you name?
Click on the photo to enlarge. If you are really stuck, here's a cheat you can use. It's the autographs of the pictured chefs. But see how many you can get just from the photo first, without using the cheat.
I can't afford to offer a prize personally - and I haven't asked permission to make this offer - but I'm willing to stake my future career that if you can name 20 of the 34 chefs pictured above and turn up for your first-ever meal at Café Spice armed with a copy of this blog post and the list of names, they will give you a complementary dish on the house at the very least. If they laugh and throw you out, blame me.
2007 and moved to Spain, where I trained in Barcelona at Carles Abellan's Comerç 24 (which won its first Michelin star) and Martín Beresategui's Lasarte (which won its second Michelin star) and was chef de partie and later Pastry Chef to Paco Morales at the amazing hotel restaurant Ferrero in the Valèncian mountains. This Spring I returned to London as part of the team of celebrated Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes, opening East End restaurant Viajante. I'm still working with food, but taking a break from fine dining. Passionately pursuing my life-long ambition to become a top-class chef and, one day, a world-famous restaurateur.
9 comments:
is the chap next to raymond blanc in the front row anton edelmann? this picture must have been taken some 10 years ago, if not longer.
as for the rest, i am so bad with faces and names, i keep mistaking robert deniro for al pacino... so i won't even try here!!!
I spotted Delia!
Ok guys, so you've got the easy ones! Can anyone identify the two well-known chefs 2nd and 3rd from the right in the back row, or the Indian chef directly in front of them...
I count a big...fat...zero. :(
3rd from the right could be jean-christophe novelli with a bit of imagination? the others: haven't got the faintest! but can't wait to find out!
You are doing well so far, Jo. Doesn't J-C look young? The photo was taken at least 10 years ago, as you said earlier. Try the Indian chefs. There aren't that many in town with Michelin stars! Then there's a leading chef coach - one of the only Brummies ever to win a Michelin star. If you are stuck, try the cheat.
Isnt that guy at the very back in the suit Henry Crabb from Pie in the Sky?
Lol. I asked my dad, Andrew, and he told me you might well be right as this guy is on the front table.
Andrew - your blogs have disappeared. What's happened?
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