Gary Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Gary Rhodes OBE
(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.
in Thanet
where he met his wife Jennie.
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His 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.
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 oxtail
s 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.
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.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 22 April 1960) is an English restaurateur, cookery writer
Food writing
Food writing is writing that focuses on the topic of food, both widely and narrowly defined.-Definition:Food writer Mark Kurlansky gives the scope of food writing when he observes: “Food is about agriculture, about ecology, about man’s relationship with nature, about the climate, about...
, and 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 ...
, known for his love of British cuisine
British cuisine
English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, largely due to the importation of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India...
and distinctive spiked hair style (which has since been shaved off).
He has fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA
MasterChef USA
MasterChef is a 2010 American competitive cooking reality show, open to amateur and home chefs. It is co-hosted and co-produced by Gordon Ramsay. Produced by Reveille Productions, it first debuted on July 27, 2010 at 9 pm ET/PT on the Fox Television Network, following one of Ramsay's other...
, Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen (UK TV series)
Hell's Kitchen was a British cookery reality show aired on ITV which featured prospective chefs competing with each other for a final prize. Four series had been aired since 2004, three presented by Angus Deayton and the latest by Claudia Winkleman....
, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. In 2006 he competed to represent the South of England in the BBC's Great British Menu
Great British Menu
Great British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet. The first series banquet was for the Queen on her 80th birthday. The second series was to cook for the British Ambassador to France at the British Embassy...
, but lost to Atul Kochhar
Atul Kochhar
Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef. Born in Jamshedpur in northern India, Kochhar was trained and worked at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.-Biography:In 1994, he was appointed head chef at the Tamarind restaurant, in Mayfair, London...
.
As well as owning four restaurants, Rhodes also has his own line of cookware
Cookware and bakeware
Cookware and bakeware are types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Bakeware comprises cooking vessels intended for use inside an oven...
and bread mixes.
Rhodes can now be seen on the new 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...
programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the UKTV Food
UKTV Food
Good Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
show Local Food Hero
Local Food Hero
Local Food Hero is a competition to find, celebrate and award Britain’s best independent food businesses - those who champions local produce with a strong connection to their community. In 2009, the competition was hosted by the television programme Market Kitchen, on the channel Good Food...
and in television adverts for Flora margarine, some of which featured him "driving a van topped with a giant styrofoam crumpet" which were banned.
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 collegeThanet College
Thanet College is a further education college located on the Isle of Thanet in Broadstairs, Kent on the southeast coast of the United Kingdom.The main campus is located on Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs...
in Thanet
Thanet
Thanet is a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974...
where he met his wife Jennie.
Career
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
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
Reform Club
The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall, in central London. Originally for men only, it changed to include the admission of women in 1981. In 2011 the subscription for membership of the Reform Club as a full UK member is £1,344.00, with a one-off entrance fee of £875.00...
, Pall Mall
Pall Mall, London
Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, and parallel to The Mall, from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square. The street is a major thoroughfare in the St James's area of London, and a section of the...
and then on to the Capital Hotel
Capital Hotel
Capital Hotel is a small luxury 5-star hotel in London, England. It is located at 22-24 Basil Street extremely close to Brompton Road, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and the centre of Knightsbridge....
in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, earning it a Michelin Star in 2001.
Rhodes achieved the prestigious Head Chef position at the Castle Hotel, Taunton
Castle Hotel, Taunton
The Castle Hotel at Taunton is a hotel and restaurant located in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, England. The business is located in a Grade II listed 18th century reconstruction of the former 12th century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.-Building:...
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
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...
. The menu became known for reviving British classics, including faggots
Faggot (food)
Faggots are a traditional dish in the UK, especially South and Mid Wales and the Midlands of England. It is made from meat off-cuts and offal, especially pork. A faggot is traditionally made from pig's heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and...
, fish cakes, braised oxtail
Oxtail
Oxtail is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. Formerly, it referred only to the tail of an ox or steer, a castrated male. An oxtail typically weighs 2 to 4 lbs. and is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is usually slow-cooked, often stewed or...
s and bread and butter pudding
Bread and butter pudding
Bread and butter pudding is made by layering slices of buttered bread scattered with raisins in an oven dish into which an egg and milk mixture, commonly seasoned with nutmeg , is poured.-Instructions:...
. 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
Sodexho
Sodexo is a French multinational corporation headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. Sodexo is one of the largest food services and facilities management companies in the world, with 380,000 employees, representing 130 nationalities, present on 34,000 sites in 80 countries...
. This partnership expanded into the brasseries of Rhodes and Co in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Edinburgh and Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
.
Based primarily at Rhodes Twenty Four
Rhodes Twenty Four
Rhodes Twenty Four is a quality restaurant located in the City of London. , the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide. Run by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, the restaurant is on the 24th floor of Tower 42, formerly known as the Natwest Tower....
in one of London's tallest buildings, Tower 42
Tower 42
Tower 42 is the second tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth tallest in London overall. The original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's International Division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest...
, 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
MasterChef USA
MasterChef is a 2010 American competitive cooking reality show, open to amateur and home chefs. It is co-hosted and co-produced by Gordon Ramsay. Produced by Reveille Productions, it first debuted on July 27, 2010 at 9 pm ET/PT on the Fox Television Network, following one of Ramsay's other...
on PBS.
Rhodes has appeared on the BBC2 spoof game show Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
, during which hosts Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
and Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer
Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
asked him to 'represent fire through the medium of dance'.
He was created an Officer of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(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 HardyKaren Hardy
Karen Hardy is a professional ballroom dancer, coach, teacher and adjudicator. In 1998 she won the professional International Latin American Dance Championship with Bryan Watson. She also won the United Kingdom Open, British National, European and World Masters championships...
in the sixth
Strictly Come Dancing (Series 6)
The sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing began on BBC One on 20 September 2008, with Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returning as presenters, and Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli returning as judges....
series of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
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 Cha-cha-cha (dance) The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953... / Hippy Hippy Shake Hippy Hippy Shake Hippy Hippy Shake is a song written and recorded by Chan Romero in 1959. That same year, the song reached number three in Australia.A cover version by Italian rocker Little Tony appeared in the same year and found moderate success in the United Kingdom and Italy.A version by UK-based band The... |
1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 17 | Last place & Safe |
| 3 | Jive Jive (dance) In Ballroom dancing, Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1930s. It was originally presented to the public as 'Jive' in 1934 by Cab Calloway. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance... / Lipstick, Powder and Paint Shakin' Stevens Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw... |
3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Last place & Eliminated |
Restaurants
- Rhodes W1Rhodes W1Rhodes W1 is a quality restaurant located in London, England. It was opened in 2007, and gained a Michelin star within a year of opening in January 2008...
, Cumberland Hotel – Restaurant in W1,London - Rhodes 24 – located in the former NatWest Tower, now known as Tower 42Tower 42Tower 42 is the second tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth tallest in London overall. The original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's International Division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest...
http://www.rhodes24.co.uk/ - Rhodes Calabash – located in the Calabash hotel, in GrenadaGrenadaGrenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
- Arcadian Rhodes – aboard the P&OP&O CruisesP&O Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, and operated by Carnival UK. Originally a constituent of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise line in the world, having operated the world's first...
liner Arcadia - Oriana Rhodes at the Curzon – aboard the P&O liner OrianaMV Oriana (1995)MV Oriana is a cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship was built by Meyer Werft at their shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. At 69,000 tonnes, Oriana is the sixth largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She officially entered service with the company in April 1995 and was...
- 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 ]