Nico Ladenis

[Wilfrid]

He joined the UK pantheon of the Roux brothers, Bourdin at the Connaught and Pierre Koffman back in the day. But he was self-taught and started in a ramshackle space in south London.

One of the first London chefs to get on the front pages, for better or worse; he was ahead of MPW in chasing critics out of his dining room.

The memoir and apologetica which fills the first part of his book Nico can be re-read endlessly. The recipes are trickier, although I have mastered one or two.

89, to my astonishment.

[Sneakeater]

He was 89??????????????????

[Wilfrid]

I mentioned he was self-taught. He started late after a career in something completely different (advertising and PR). He was about 40 when he started cooking in a restaurant kitchen, which is obviously very late. So a case of the Deborah Harry Phenomenon.

 

Adding from the Guardian: 

Quote

He stood out from his peers on many counts, but two deserve especial mention. He came to his profession much later in life than most, not cooking for the public until he was nearly 40 years old; and he was entirely self-taught.