James Tanner
Encyclopedia
James Tanner is a British
chef
and television
personality. He currently appears on the BBC
cookery programme Ready Steady Cook
.
career, preparing salads and starters, in "Brookers Oast" a Whitbread Brewers Fayre in Kent in the early 1990s
After studying hotel management
he worked in the kitchens of several restaurants, often with his older brother, fellow celebrity chef Chris Tanner. He worked his way up through the ranks until he was invited by the Roux brothers, Michel
and Albert
, to move to the US and work in upstate New York
, where he was Chef de partie at the Lake Placid
Lodge. Within four months he was promoted to junior Sous-chef.
He worked his way up the ranks and on returning to England took a job under Martin Blunos
at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Lettonie in Bath before a Head Chef role at Right on the Green in Kent.
In 1999, aged 23, Tanner and his brother opened "Tanners Restaurant" in Plymouth
.
In Spring 2006 Tanner and his brother opened a second restaurant in Plymouth. The Barbican Kitchen is a brasserie sited within the Plymouth Gin Distillery, a 500 year old building in the heart of Plymouth's oldest area, The Barbican.
In April 2011, the Tanner brothers opened "The Kitchen Cafe" alongside The Barbican Kitchen, which serves snack style foods as an offshoot from the brasserie style Barbican Kitchen.
and broadcast predominantly on their now cancelled Great Food Live
. The brothers did not make it through to the final.
Tanner became a semi-regular guest on Great Food Live which was shot at the same studios as Ready Steady Cook
. He was recommended to audition for the show and became a regular. At the heart of his style during his TV appearances is the repetition of his catchphrase "Like so", used in order to make various culinary techniques seem easy, encouraging members of the public to give them a try, and also to assuage viewers' fears of unfamiliar ingredients, as well as "dig down deep".
Tanner also appears on Saturday Kitchen
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 ...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality. He currently appears on the 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...
cookery programme Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
.
Early life
Tanner began his cateringCatering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
career, preparing salads and starters, in "Brookers Oast" a Whitbread Brewers Fayre in Kent in the early 1990s
After studying hotel management
Hotel manager
A hotel manager or hotelier is a person who holds a management occupation within a hotel, motel, or resort establishment. Management titles and duties vary by company. In some hotels the title hotel manager or hotelier may solely be referred to the General Manager of the hotel...
he worked in the kitchens of several restaurants, often with his older brother, fellow celebrity chef Chris Tanner. He worked his way up through the ranks until he was invited by the Roux brothers, Michel
Michel Roux
Michel Roux is a French-born chef and restaurateur working in Britain.Born in Charolles, Saône-et-Loire, Roux moved to Paris with his family after the war, where they set up a charcuterie...
and Albert
Albert Roux
Albert Roux OBE is a French-born restaurateur and chef working in Britain. He and his brother Michel operated Le Gavroche, the first restaurant in the UK to gain three Michelin stars. He helped train a series of chefs that went on to win Michelin stars, and his son, Michel Roux, Jr...
, to move to the US and work in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he was Chef de partie at the Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
Lodge. Within four months he was promoted to junior Sous-chef.
He worked his way up the ranks and on returning to England took a job under Martin Blunos
Martin Blunos
Martin Lauris Blunos is a British TV chef. Blunos earned two Michelin Guide stars for each of his two restaurants.-Early life:...
at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Lettonie in Bath before a Head Chef role at Right on the Green in Kent.
In 1999, aged 23, Tanner and his brother opened "Tanners Restaurant" in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
.
In Spring 2006 Tanner and his brother opened a second restaurant in Plymouth. The Barbican Kitchen is a brasserie sited within the Plymouth Gin Distillery, a 500 year old building in the heart of Plymouth's oldest area, The Barbican.
In April 2011, the Tanner brothers opened "The Kitchen Cafe" alongside The Barbican Kitchen, which serves snack style foods as an offshoot from the brasserie style Barbican Kitchen.
TV career
Tanner's television career began in 2002 when he and brother made their first TV appearance on a competition called 'Chef Stars', a promotion run by UKTV FoodUKTV 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...
and broadcast predominantly on their now cancelled Great Food Live
Great Food Live
Great Food Live, formerly Good Food Live, was a British magazine programme hosted by Jeni Barnett and broadcast on UKTVFood part of the UKTV Network between 2001 and 2007. Jeni Barnett was joined every day by a chef co-host...
. The brothers did not make it through to the final.
Tanner became a semi-regular guest on Great Food Live which was shot at the same studios as Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
. He was recommended to audition for the show and became a regular. At the heart of his style during his TV appearances is the repetition of his catchphrase "Like so", used in order to make various culinary techniques seem easy, encouraging members of the public to give them a try, and also to assuage viewers' fears of unfamiliar ingredients, as well as "dig down deep".
Tanner also appears on Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. It is currently presented by James Martin; previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV...
.
External links
- UKTV biography
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-5minute-interview-james-tanner-chef-454621.html5 Minute Interview with James Tanner - The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
]