Ainsley Harriott Profile
Anyone who thinks up nicknames such as Percy pepper and Suzy salt must have something special about them and our Ainsley Harriott has been destined for the world of entertainment from a young age. Ainsley Harriott was born 28th February, 1957 in Balham in South London to his mother, Peppy, who is responsible for inspiring him to learn how to cook. Cooking was central to family life when Ainsley was growing up as his mother would often cook for friends and family who were always welcome in his home. His mother encouraged him to help out in the kitchen giving him tasks such as cutting the flour to make it even finer! This early experience with cooking is what started Ainsley’s life long passion for food and cooking. His mother passed on her philosophy of using fresh ingredients, always preparing beforehand and most importantly having fun while cooking. At the age of 16, Ainsley Harriott began his official career in cooking by signing up at Westminster Catering College where many other great British chefs started their careers. His first full time paid role in a kitchen was at West End restaurant Verrey’s where he started out as a junior trainee and was eventually promoted to Commis Chef before he moving on to The Strand Palace hotel as Chef Tournant. Ainsley also set up his own catering company that catered for every level of cuisine from Steak and Kidney Pudding to Lobster Thermidor. This was an exciting period for Ainsley and as his company gained a reputation he was booked to cater for the likes of Elton John and even Princess Margaret. This wide range of cooking experience has given Ainsley a love for simple yet adventurous food and this is apparent in his cooking style. But our Ainsley Harriott has always had two passions is life and his second is a passion for entertainment. Taking after his father, Chester, Ainsley loved to sing and entertain people and this passion led to the creation of ‘The Calypso Twins’ with Paul Boross. The Calypso Twins were a musical comedy duo and they embarked on a tour which took them all over Europe but their biggest success came when they returned to the UK. The duo became a big hit on London’s comedy circuit which led to several TV appearances and even a record release. A little known fact about Ainsley is that his first appearance on television was on the now cult sci-fi series Red Dwarf in 1993. As the world of entertainment began taking notice of Ainsley’s larger than life charisma, he knew that his calling in life lay in cooking and he returned to working in top hotels and restaurants in London including The Dorchester, Brown’s, The Hilton, The Westbury, Café Pelican and Quaglino’s. In the early 1990s Ainsley Harriott took the role of Head Chef of the Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground and it was during one cricket season that his career in entertainment came calling. BBC Radio asked Ainsley to present More Nosh, Less Dosh for BBC Radio 5, his success on radio led to an offer to become resident chef on BBC TV’s Good Morning With Anne And Nick. This was an offer that was ideal for Ainsley Harriott so he snapped it up and his career on mainstream television began. About Ainsley Harriott continued...
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