Marco Pierre White appreciation thread

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Just enjoy these guys while they're still around. This type of chef isn't going anywhere, but we're seeing the end to this type of "celebrity" chef. Accessibility killed them like the supermodel and superstar athletes. Having favorite food figures is already like having a favorite ass on Instagram.

In my experience this type of culture has already been mostly pushed out. If you join a certain institution though with the purpose of learning a specific way or from a particular person, you don't really get to complain about your own decision when there are other choices. Especially now.
 
I believe Chef's throwing a tantrum every 5 minutes is a thing of the past or it will become just that. In my early days of work I saw quite a few surgeons throwing equipment around (including scalpels) and bully everyone around them when things did not quite went as they hoped. Those days are pretty much over, was it a post WWII generation thingy, is our collective 'presence' upgraded to a higher level?

From what I see the difference between most US cooking programs and those from elsewhere is that the US versions for some reason appears to be made with 'energy to the max' in mind, I can not stand that sort of 'high energy' approach..
 
chiffonodd said:
@labor of love I think both sides actually have good points here. MPW is obviously an insanely accomplished chef who has dedicated his entire life to the craft. He, along with other insanely accomplished chefs, also seems to be a complete ******* who has probably chased some really talented cooks out of his kitchen because they couldn't deal with his personality type. I guess that's his prerogative. But it's also indicative of some serious "issues" in the culture.

I don't think there's any chance he's a sociopath, like some have suggested. I've seen clips of him lamenting the incredible toll that the industry has taken on him, how he sacrificed his youth and pretty much every aspect of his life in pursuit of his dream. That's not really what sociopaths do, they're far too manipulative and lazy. More likely he is a tormented soul who has channeled his pain into passion and art.



Narcissist? Maybe. I guess he's earned the right to be.

Anyway, don't mean to **** all over your thread.
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Cool
 
juice said:
I haven't watched much Masterchef, but the AU version seems VERY different from the US version. I was surprised by how sane the AU version was, it wasn't what I was expecting at all.


Isn't that exactly what I said?
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I haven’t watched much reality tv cooking shows at all...because you know...I have better things to do with my time. Also, lmao at the amount of comments responding to something Marco did on a ****ing reality show as if it the purpose was something other than to make easy bank off you homecooking peasants
 
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MarcelNL said:
I believe Chef's throwing a tantrum every 5 minutes is a thing of the past or it will become just that. In my early days of work I saw quite a few surgeons throwing equipment around (including scalpels) and bully everyone around them when things did not quite went as they hoped. Those days are pretty much over, was it a post WWII generation thingy, is our collective 'presence' upgraded to a higher level?

From what I see the difference between most US cooking programs and those from elsewhere is that the US versions for some reason appears to be made with 'energy to the max' in mind, I can not stand that sort of 'high energy' approach..
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This is quite an enchanting story, however St. M White never wronged anyone that didn’t have it coming.
 
Throwing pans at someone is never an acceptable way to behave. Any who does it is prick.

When you watch MPW speak about other people and his "relationships" with other people it's just so bizarre. He doesn't get normal human relationships at all. There's a much higher proportion of psychopaths at the top of end of high-powered business or banking than the normal population; I think MPW just found cooking instead.
 
panda said:
I dont think being a yelling d1ckhead is very productive or conducive to staff growth, but I feel equally strongly that people who can't handle a little diversity also don't belong in the kitchen. no sissies allowed. 🤷‍♂️ better to weed out the softies than to coddle everyone.
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This is more convincing than a coupon for summer’s eve.
 
I just wish I could kick people out like he did. That's the one thing I rest admire him for.
 
chiffonodd said:
I've seen clips of him lamenting the incredible toll that the industry has taken on him, how he sacrificed his youth and pretty much every aspect of his life in pursuit of his dream.
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Right. Here's the thing though - one of the strongest narratives in the restaurant industry is how all-consuming the business/trade is.

Look at this profile of David Chang from 2008:

"Serpico had to be out of his apartment in less than a month but had not yet found another place to live. He has not historically paid much attention to his living arrangements. He is twenty-six and inherited his first bed a year ago. Until then, he hadn’t even owned a mattress—he just slept on the floor. He still doesn’t have a closet: he drops his clothes at the laundry, then just takes stuff as he needs it right out of the bag. He has cooked at home once in six years. If he isn’t eating at the restaurant, he usually gets McDonald’s or KFC.

Serpico’s habits are not unusual among the cooks at Momofuku. Chang never cooks at home, either—he orders Chinese or pizza. He had a bed in his old apartment, but only because it had been left behind by the previous tenant. Recently, he bought a place, but he had no furniture, so one day he braced himself and went to Crate & Barrel. He had only an hour to shop, though, so he picked out one of the mockup rooms and told a salesperson he wanted to buy everything in it, just as it was. The consequence of this, he realized when the furniture arrived, was that his apartment looked like a hotel room, but at least there was stuff on the floor."

And when I was in my early 20s and just starting to cook, I ate this sort of **** up with a spoon.

So in this twisted mentality, the fact that Marco Pierre White never once set foot in France until after winning 3 Michelin stars (and being in his 30s), even though his career was based off French food and he lived/worked a stones-throw away, isn't seen as sad or pathetic. It's viewed in the light of "holy **** - that's so bad ass - he was so dedicated to the craft that he couldn't even cross the English Channel."

Marco has been open and vocal about how the restaurant industry played a part in him being a stunted man-child. It just gets overshadowed by his charisma, intensity, and success.
 
JDA_NC said:
Right. Here's the thing though - one of the strongest narratives in the restaurant industry is how all-consuming the business/trade is.

Look at this profile of David Chang from 2008:

"Serpico had to be out of his apartment in less than a month but had not yet found another place to live. He has not historically paid much attention to his living arrangements. He is twenty-six and inherited his first bed a year ago. Until then, he hadn’t even owned a mattress—he just slept on the floor. He still doesn’t have a closet: he drops his clothes at the laundry, then just takes stuff as he needs it right out of the bag. He has cooked at home once in six years. If he isn’t eating at the restaurant, he usually gets McDonald’s or KFC.

Serpico’s habits are not unusual among the cooks at Momofuku. Chang never cooks at home, either—he orders Chinese or pizza. He had a bed in his old apartment, but only because it had been left behind by the previous tenant. Recently, he bought a place, but he had no furniture, so one day he braced himself and went to Crate & Barrel. He had only an hour to shop, though, so he picked out one of the mockup rooms and told a salesperson he wanted to buy everything in it, just as it was. The consequence of this, he realized when the furniture arrived, was that his apartment looked like a hotel room, but at least there was stuff on the floor."

And when I was in my early 20s and just starting to cook, I ate this sort of **** up with a spoon.

So in this twisted mentality, the fact that Marco Pierre White never once set foot in France until after winning 3 Michelin stars (and being in his 30s), even though his career was based off French food and he lived/worked a stones-throw away, isn't seen as sad or pathetic. It's viewed in the light of "holy **** - that's so bad ass - he was so dedicated to the craft that he couldn't even cross the English Channel."

Marco has been open and vocal about how the restaurant industry played a part in him being a stunted man-child. It just gets overshadowed by his charisma, intensity, and success.
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I've never worked in a kitchen so I should tread lightly here, but it's obvious that the industry has a problem. And frankly, you don't *need* to be a professional cook to see it. I've seen enough in my own industry (law) to recognize the BS myths about how the only way to succeed is to shred your own life to pieces. The narcissism is also really familiar. Certainly no shortage of narcissists in the legal profession.

The thing with MPW though is that he just sort of embodies the classic anti-hero. The more personally flawed he is, the more it plays into his mystique. And I think many of his flaws could be forgiven. But there are instances where he plainly crosses the line. It's not endearing anymore when he says stuff like woman can never make it in a pro kitchen because they're too emotional. It's just douchebaggery.
 
I enjoyed his autobiography “White slave”.
 
labor of love said:
Pales in comparison to the totally fictional Kitchen Confidential which explores the life of a junkie who left his wife that supported him through all the hard times for another woman half his age as soon as he became famous.
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Are you being sarcastic?
 
At the risk of being off topic, what makes you recommend it? (Totally serious)
 
BillHanna said:
At the risk of being off topic, what makes you recommend it? (Totally serious)
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The container is the perfect shape for throwing at disobedient cooks. Shouldn’t hurt them enough to where they would need to leave work mid shift.
I really appreciate the texture, it has this “crunch” to it which I find to be unparallel. I was never good at tasting notes lol so that’s about the best I could elaborate.
 
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