Angela Hartnett
Encyclopedia
Angela Hartnett MBE
(born 1968 in Kent
) is an English Chef
. A protégé of Gordon Ramsay
who was made famous by her appearances on British television, she was Chef-Patron
at The Connaught
in London. Currently, she is Chef Patron for Murano restaurant and the York & Albany pub in London.
to Patrick Hartnett, an Irish sailor in the Merchant Navy and Giuliana, a Welsh
mother whose parents had migrated from Bardi in Italy to the Welsh town of Ferndale. Her father died when she was eight years old. Her mother Giuliana moved the young family (older brother and younger sister) to Upminster
to be closer to both sets of grandparents, where they were brought up by their Italian maternal grandmother whilst Giuliana worked long hours as a dinner lady
and nanny. At 18 Hartnett went to Italy for a year to work as an au pair
before graduating with a degree in History at Cambridge Polytechnic
. She also used to babysit in the area, most notably for Liam Keefe
, then at the Sandy Lane Hotel restaurant in Barbados
.
In 1994, she returned to the UK, and undertook a one day trial at Gordon Ramsay
's first restaurant "Aubergine." Alongside Marcus Wareing
, she worked six days a week alongside Ramsay for longer than the two weeks Wareing predicted – Ramsay called her a bitch occasionally, alongside his favoured name for her: Dizzy Lizzy. She supported Ramsay at Zafferano and L'Oranger, then joining Wareing as his sous chef at Petrus. After launching Amaryllis in Scotland
with David Dempsey in 2001, Hartnett helped with the launch of Gordon Ramsay's Verre in Dubai
.
In 2003, Hartnett won the 'Best Newcomer Award' and the Square Meal Guides’ BMW Best New Restaurant award for the two restaurants at The Connaught Hotel. In 2004 she netted her first Michelin star. In early 2007, she was awarded an MBE
for Services to the Hospitality Industry. Also in 2007 she opened Cielo, a Ramsay Group restaurant in Boca Raton. She made her first television appearance in the first series of ITV1
's Hell's Kitchen.
Just before The Connaught Hotel closed in mid-2007, Hartnett published her first book "Cucina: Three Generations of Italian Family Cooking;"; while it was closed she was seen on BBC
's Kitchen Criminals
and Take On The Takeaway. Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd agreed to cease their contract with The Connaught Hotel in September 2007, and in August 2008 Hartnett launched Murano, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Mayfair
. In September 2008, Hartnett opened the York and Albany restaurant at the top of Parkway, Camden Town
, close to Regent's Park
.
with her sister, in a house owned by Hartnett and her brother. She owns a Jack Russell
called Alfie who she rescued from Battersea Dogs Home in 2004. She spends a holiday every year in Bardi
, the town where most of the Welsh-based Italian families
can trace their roots.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 1968 in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
) is an English Chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
. A protégé of Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
who was made famous by her appearances on British television, she was Chef-Patron
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
at The Connaught
The Connaught (hotel)
The Connaught in Carlos Place, Mayfair, central London, is a five star luxury hotel.The hotel first opened in 1815 as the Prince of Saxe Coburg Hotel, an offshoot of a hotel opened by Alexander Grillon in Albemarle Street, Mayfair, and was originally a pair of Georgian houses in Charles Street,...
in London. Currently, she is Chef Patron for Murano restaurant and the York & Albany pub in London.
Biography
Angela Hartnett was born in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
to Patrick Hartnett, an Irish sailor in the Merchant Navy and Giuliana, a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
mother whose parents had migrated from Bardi in Italy to the Welsh town of Ferndale. Her father died when she was eight years old. Her mother Giuliana moved the young family (older brother and younger sister) to Upminster
Upminster
Upminster is a suburban town in northeast London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan, and comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential...
to be closer to both sets of grandparents, where they were brought up by their Italian maternal grandmother whilst Giuliana worked long hours as a dinner lady
Lunch Lady
Lunch lady is an American slang term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria; the equivalent British English term is "dinner lady". In Britain, a dinner lady also patrols the school playgrounds during the lunch breaks to maintain order amongst the children...
and nanny. At 18 Hartnett went to Italy for a year to work as an au pair
Au pair
An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use...
before graduating with a degree in History at Cambridge Polytechnic
Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000.-History:...
. She also used to babysit in the area, most notably for Liam Keefe
Career
Starting relatively late in her chosen career path, she learnt on the job at a hotel in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, then at the Sandy Lane Hotel restaurant in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
.
In 1994, she returned to the UK, and undertook a one day trial at Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
's first restaurant "Aubergine." Alongside Marcus Wareing
Marcus Wareing
Marcus Wareing , is an English chef, currently Chef Patron of "Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley" in Knightsbridge, and previously the Grill Room at the Savoy Hotel on the Strand....
, she worked six days a week alongside Ramsay for longer than the two weeks Wareing predicted – Ramsay called her a bitch occasionally, alongside his favoured name for her: Dizzy Lizzy. She supported Ramsay at Zafferano and L'Oranger, then joining Wareing as his sous chef at Petrus. After launching Amaryllis in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with David Dempsey in 2001, Hartnett helped with the launch of Gordon Ramsay's Verre in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
In 2003, Hartnett won the 'Best Newcomer Award' and the Square Meal Guides’ BMW Best New Restaurant award for the two restaurants at The Connaught Hotel. In 2004 she netted her first Michelin star. In early 2007, she was awarded an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
for Services to the Hospitality Industry. Also in 2007 she opened Cielo, a Ramsay Group restaurant in Boca Raton. She made her first television appearance in the first series of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's Hell's Kitchen.
Just before The Connaught Hotel closed in mid-2007, Hartnett published her first book "Cucina: Three Generations of Italian Family Cooking;"; while it was closed she was seen on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Kitchen Criminals
Kitchen Criminals
Kitchen Criminals is a BBC television series in which top chefs John Burton Race and Angela Hartnett are given the task of travelling the length and breadth of the UK, looking for Britain's worst cooks. After selecting the 20 worst, the amateur cooks must undertake a series of cookery challenges...
and Take On The Takeaway. Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd agreed to cease their contract with The Connaught Hotel in September 2007, and in August 2008 Hartnett launched Murano, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
. In September 2008, Hartnett opened the York and Albany restaurant at the top of Parkway, Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
, close to Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
.
Personal life
Hartnett is single, and lives in SpitalfieldsSpitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
with her sister, in a house owned by Hartnett and her brother. She owns a Jack Russell
Jack Russell
Jack Russell is the name of:* Jack Russell , a fictional Marvel Comics character* Jack Russell Terrier, a type of dog- People :* Jack "Russer" Russell , traveler* Jack Russell , American baseball player...
called Alfie who she rescued from Battersea Dogs Home in 2004. She spends a holiday every year in Bardi
Bardi (Italy)
Bardi is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km west of Bologna and about 50 km southwest of Parma, in the upper Ceno valley...
, the town where most of the Welsh-based Italian families
Welsh Italians
Welsh Italians are British citizens residing in Wales whose ancestry wholly or partly originates in Italy. Most Italian immigration to Wales took place in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with the largest number of migrants settling in Glamorgan and Newport.-Migration history:Italian immigrants...
can trace their roots.