Marco Pierre White aka Rockstar

You might be wondering why I chose a photo of Paul Bocuse for the story of Marco Pierre White. Because; whether it’s the music industry, hospitality, or any other, every market has to have pop stars before talking about rock stars. For the food industry, the pop star who made cooking food for the people; important, classy, elegant, and something to be proud of was Paul Bocuse. Without Paul, there weren’t be any Marcos, Gordons, or Massimos.

Marco was born in 1961 in Leeds, the UK as a new member of a working-class family.

At the age of 13, his father told him that he is not a boy anymore — he is a man who must support his family. So he started to work for a local milkman. He was waking up at 4:45 am and the milkman collected him at 5:00 am. For the next 4 hours, he was running without any break. He was also late for school every day. Earned 5 pounds a week and every Sunday his father took all his money and said that it was for the family holiday. Actually, all he did was a gamble.

Marco never loved his father but respected him. Still to this day he appreciates that he taught Marco the importance of discipline, hard work and never giving up. It was an important lesson that shaped his life — to never ever ever give in.

As one of the side effects of overtime for a milkman, Marco was not successful at school. In 1978 his father gave him just enough money to go to Harrogate, have lunch and travel back. He dressed him in his Sunday best, told him to knock kitchen doors of every hotel in Harrogate, and explain them to Friday 17th of March his last day at the school and he is ready to become their apprentice on Monday 20th of March.

For the first time, he was so far away from home, all alone. He didn’t know that this journey was taking him from the world he was born into and putting him in a new one.

While exploring the town he saw a big victorian style hotel called St. George. When he was looking at the hotel, he came eye to eye with the intimidating doorman. Immediately understood that he was not welcome here and started to look for the kitchen entrance. Saw a turquoise door and knocked on it. The truth was he never wanted this door to open but it opened eventually.

Trevor the kitchen porter asked him: “What do you want?” he replied very confidently: “I’m here to see the chef.” Because of his confidence, Trevor assumed that he had an appointment with the chef and without any question asked; took him to the chef. Now chef asked: “What do you want?” He said the exact things that his father told him to do. Suddenly Marco recognized this man; he was a type of guy just like his father. He got hired as an apprentice chef for 15 pounds a week.

The most important part: Marco describes that day “luckiest day of his life.”

Hotel St. George

Marco didn’t learn about cooking food in St. George but learned more important things like how to run, take orders, push himself, use a knife, and say “Yes Chef!”.

On his first day at the job, 20th of March; his Chef de Partie Michael Truelove told Marco to the first thing he should learn is: “Service, service!”. Marco asked: “What’s that mean?” He said: “Whatever the chef says to you, screams at you, swears at you, abuses you; you just said, yes chef!” and that’s what Marco did for the rest of his life.

He worked so hard and pushed himself so hard for that job. But he didn’t do it because he liked his chef or liked what he was going through. Actually, he never liked his chef but respected him because––just like his father––he taught him how to absorb pressure, pick up the towel, hide his tears, and how the Escoffier-style kitchen is running. With this experience, he was able to make his own dreams become true.

Somehow Marco survived in this environment. There was a break between lunch and dinner service. But other chefs didn't seem interested in him since he was only 16 years old. So he looked for other things to do by himself between these breaks. One day he saw a book called “Egon Ronay Guide Hotels and Restaurants of Great Britain”. He started to look through it and realized that restaurants had stars. According to the guide finest restaurant in Britain was The Box Tree and it was only 15 miles away.

The Box Tree

That evening Marco went back home and started to think; if he’s going to be a chef for the rest of his life, then maybe he should work for the best restaurant in Britain.

He thought about this idea for months and months. One day––finally–– found the courage to call The Box Tree and asked if there were any vacancies.

He describes this moment as the second luckiest day of his life. Because the day he called another chef in the kitchen had given his notice to the restaurant.

He went for the interview. Again he was in his Sunday best: polished shoes, clean cuffs, suit & tie.

Knocked on the door. They greeted him. The interview took two and a half hours along. And it was scary. All they did was explain to him how special was The Box Tree. Marco describes this: after losing his mom at the age of six his life was black and white; at that moment it had gone back into color.

He started to work at The Box Tree. The chef was called Michael Lawson; the first British chef to win two Michelin stars. At that time there were only four chefs holding that status in the UK.

The Box Tree was love at first sight. Michael took Marco under his wings. Also, there was an elderly chef called Ken. Every night he took him home with his car and told him stories of the great three Michelin-starred restaurants of France. He was like the father figure to him––or in his own words––“The father that he never had.”

Marco absorbed those stories like a sponge; he was never ever inspired in his life like this way. Michael and Ken shared their knowledge and brought out the best in him.

Le Gavroche

Other than the stories of great restaurants in Paris, they also shared the stories of great restaurants in London––like Le Gavroche and Chewton Glen.

Marco found the courage to write two letters to these restaurants. Le Gavroche wrote back to him in French and sent an application form in French; which he tried to fill but messed up. Chewton Glen invited him for an interview and offered him a job in pastry. The truth was Marco never liked sticky fingers since he was four––when he was helping his mother to harvest figs in Italy.

He declined the offer and arrived at the Victoria coach station on his way back home. He found out that the last coach had gone and there weren’t any until the next morning. The only thing he can do until the next coach was walk the streets of London.

After a while, he found himself looking through the windows of this elegant restaurant. Watched them serving the mains, desserts, and petit fours; lighting the cigars, and pouring the wine. He thought that this is beautiful. Then he looked to the name above the door; it was Le Gavroche.

He kept walking pointlessly until the morning and when the sun comes up he decided the knock on the kitchen door of Le Gavroche before heading to Victoria. The pastry chef who was working on mise en place opened the door. Told him there is no one here right now other than him because Gavroche only does dinner and head office is somewhere else close by where — maybe — he can find someone else to talk about.

At that point, he was traveling for 24 hours with no sleep, tired, hungry, and thirsty. By some miracle, he found that red office door with the name on it, Roux. When he knocked on the door and opened it, he saw the legendary Albert Roux. Albert asked him: “What can I do for you?” He told his whole story about how he messed up with the application form in French and what he was doing and experiencing in London for the last 24 hours. He asked him: “Where do you work?” Marco answered: “The Box Tree”. Albert replied: “The best meal I’ve ever had in Britain was at The Box Tree.” For the sake of that incredible meal, Marco got hired by Albert Roux.

Years and years later Marco realized that the translation of Le Gavroche is street urchin which was exactly what he was doing that 24 hours of his life.

Marco started to work in Gavroche in 1981, the Michelin Guide was released in January 1982 and Gavroche won the third star which made them the first restaurant in Britain to reach that status.

It’s all been about luck. Success is born out of luck. It’s awareness of the mind that takes advantage of that opportunity. You will be confronted with an opportunity, you must take advantage of it. Because if you don't take advantage of your opportunity; you’ll never realize your dreams. Whether you want them or not is an irrelevance.

Harveys

Marco achieved to survive in Le Gavroche and worked for another couple of Michelin-starred restaurants before achieving his own dreams.

One of them was La Tante Claire and legendary chef Pierre Koffmann. Pierre was the ex-head chef of Le Gavroche and won two Michelin stars in his own restaurant and dreaming about the third one.

He heard that Pierre was not hiring English; he didn’t believe they had it. Marco still went for the interview and didn’t tell him he was working at Gavroche. At the end of the interview, Pierre said no vacancies and suggested applying for a job in Gavroche. Marco replied: ” I’ll work for nothing.” Pierre said: “Give me a start date.”

On the first day, Marco went to the restaurant for an early family meal around 11 am. He saw that there were three tables; one for Pierre Koffmann only, another one for all 12 staff of French chefs, and the last small one on the side for Marco and the kitchen porter. Marco took it very personally, Pierre should be read Marco’s expression because he said: “Come and sit next to me”. After that day Marco never ever again had a staff meal; he worked all the lunch and dinner breaks to show Englishman can work as hard if not harder than a Frenchman. He worked 3 weeks without any pay, and then one night Pierre called him and said I want to put you on the payroll.

After La Tante Claire he was offered a sous chef position for the first time at the very successful restaurant in Oxford. He learned a lot there but he was planning to work at the great three Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, where he listened to the stories from Ken and Michael. Finally, he found an opportunity to go to Paris. All he need was a place to stay in London for a week before travel.

One of his old colleagues offered him a room for the week just above his restaurant. The first day he moved, his friend told him that his wife is left and taken the children — he was struggling with the restaurant and drinking all day. Basically, he was crying out loud for help. Marco saw him and the restaurant in really bad shape and decided to help.

He worked with him for six months without any payment. Every Monday night, there were two men who came to the restaurant. They never chose from the menu; always told Marco to cook them whatever he wants. While Marco was working, his friend just kept getting drunk. Even how hard Marco tried; the restaurant still went bust. He tried to help him as much as he can, but that was it.

After working with no pay for too long; now Marco needs a lot of money to be able to travel to Paris. He finally found a job in London for 400 pounds a week — which was a lot of money in 1986 — and lied about his CV. Because this wasn’t a restaurant like The Box Tree or Gavroche.

While working with this new restaurant he got a call from the two men who came every Monday night. They basically said that they just bought a restaurant and spent 350.000 pounds, and wanted to Marco become the head chef and their partner. He didn’t understand and process a single word. Only replied: “I don’t have the money.” They replied: “We will personally guarantee your loan from the bank.”

All of a sudden Marco took a loan for 67.000 pounds — the money he has never seen in his life — and became the head chef and a partner of a new restaurant. That restaurant became the famous “Harveys” where Marco won his first Michelin stars.

Again it’s all been about luck. If he didn’t stay to help his friend he will never meet these two men — and probably never had a chance to open up his own restaurant.

Restaurant Marco Pierre White

At Harveys, Marco won his first Michelin star in his first year with a total of 5 employees — three cooks at the BOH including himself, and two at the FOH.

Then asked himself: “Is it within me to win two stars and do I have whatever it takes?” Marco always tried to be honest with himself and the answer to this question was yes. So he pushed himself for two more years. It was self-believe at whatever cost. In 1990 Guide he won his second star with three black knives and forks.

Now he started to think; is it possible to win three stars? Back then it was almost impossible.

Marco became friends with famous actor Michael Caine. One of Michael’s friends was the owner of one of the largest hotel groups in the world at that time with 40 hotels and one of them was Hyde Park Hotel in Knightsbridge. So he asked Michael; if Marco wanted to lease the restaurant in the hotel. Again he decided to take advantage of this opportunity and transferred his restaurant in a month from the Harveys to Restaurant Marco Pierre White — doubling the size of the kitchen and tripling the size of the FOH.

Michelin came to inspect the new restaurant to check if the high standards of the old ones were there or not? They decided to transfer the two stars to the new restaurant with 4 black knives and forks.

With this new restaurant and new team members, Marco asked himself again: “Is it within us to win three stars?” answer was yes again. He pushed for another year and in 1995 Michelin Guide, Restaurant Marco Pierre White won 3 Michelin stars with 4 black knives and forks. The dream was realized!

I was one small link within that chain and that’s what you have to remember in life. It’s others who make and realize your dreams; it’s not you. Because if they’re not prepared to follow you six days a week, 18 hours a day; it’ll never become true.

When dust is settled his head chef asked him: “Now, where are we going?” Marco told him the great stories of three Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris which Ken and Michael from The Box Tree told him once. The ultimate one was Lasserre with 3 Michelin Stars and 5 Red Knives and Forks. He said: “Let’s go for 5 red knives and forks.”

They pushed for 3 years and they did everything. 1998 Michelin Guide, Restaurant Marco Pierre White rewarded with 3 Michelin Stars and 5 Red Knives and Forks!

Things don’t happen overnight. Marco worked for his dreams for 20 years. You have to make mental, emotional, physical, and personal sacrifices to make them real.

Final

According to Marco, winning the 3 Michelin stars is one of the most exciting things in a chef’s life; retaining them is one of the most boring jobs in the world. Because it’s no longer personal, it’s liked a well-oiled machine, a factory; it’s a Rolls Royce not a Ferrari anymore.

He was no longer happy. Head inspector of Michelin told him: “Never forget what made you great.” In other words, he meant to say: “Stay behind your stove.” Now Marco found three options ahead of him.

Option one; listen to the head inspector keep working 90 hours a week, your children will be sleeping when you leave home and when you come home, you’ll be exhausted on Sundays but you keep your income and status within the industry.

Option two; live a lie, pretend to be behind the stove, charge high prices and question your integrity and everything you’ve ever worked for.

Option three; pluck up the courage to take your apron off and hang it up, give Michelin back their stars, and accept that tomorrow you’re unemployed and you don’t have any status.

One day while he was fishing; he thought that Marco you’ve been judged by people who know less than you and you don’t have more time to do that; then he made the unexpected and chose the third option.

He is not a rock star because he made Gordon Ramsay cry like a baby or married a supermodel within three weeks and divorced in two months. He is a rock star of our industry because he never give up when he had nothing but he decided to give in when he had everything.

He was lost for a while but eventually, he found what makes him happy again. After retirement — for 23 years now — Marco fishes the salmon in the rivers and stalks the deers in the forest where he feels safe. Because those were the things he did to feel better after losing his mother…