Marco Pierre White won three Michelin stars younger than anyone before him. Then he asked to be taken out of the guide.
In this conversation with Kris Fade, Marco talks about the mother he lost when he was six, the milk round he ran from five in the morning from the age of 13, and leaving school at 16 with no qualifications. He explains why he believes Michelin has diluted its own currency, why he still uses a 2003 Nokia, and why he is certain that insecurity is the greatest fuel a person can have.
He remembers Oliver Reed as his favourite customer, the day King Charles spoke to him in French, and the chef who told him on his first shift that service is service and it is not personal. He talks about Gordon Ramsay, the difference between a chef and a television chef, and why he insists a story matters more than a recipe.
The conversation also turns personal in a way neither man planned, as Kris and Marco compare notes on anxiety, panic attacks and the mind's ability to manufacture an illness out of nothing at all.
Listen to the full episode now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or watch it on YouTube.