Legendary chef who helped mentor Marco Pierre-White dies at 89 sparking tributes to a ‘true gastronomic leader’
- Celebrity chef Nico Ladenis, a mentor of Marco Pierre-White, has died at 89
- Ladenis won three Michelin stars in the 1990s and was a doyen of British cuisine
Tributes have been paid to legendary chef Nico Ladenis, mentor of Marco-Pierre White, following his death yesterday at the age of 89.
The chef, who famously taught himself how to cook, became a doyen of cuisine when he won three Michelin stars at 90 Park Lane in the 1990s.
He opened his first London restaurant Chez Nico in Dulwich in 1973 followed by Simply Nico in Pimlico in 1989.
But it was his third venue, Chez Nico at 90 Park Lane, which catapulted him to fame.
Ladenis, who in his lifetime been compared to other chef legends Raymond Blanc and the Roux brothers, has been called a ‘field marshal of classical cuisine’.
Nico Ladenis pictured during production of the ‘Take Six Cooks’ TVshow in the mid 1980s. It was in following decade that his career reached new heights with three Michelin stars
Ladenis and his wife pictured at the launch of his book Nicowere in 1996
Ladenis, who famously taught himself how to cook, became a doyen of cuisine when he won three Michelin stars at 90 Park Lane in the 1990s
Chef James Martin was among those who paid tribute to Mr Ladenis, calling him: ‘One of the few true greats of the UK food scene’
Chef Paul Flynn described how he worked under Ladenis for nine years and praised his mentor’s legacy
Ladenis entered the cookery profession at the relatively late age of 37 after an earlier career in the oil and gas industry.
He made history as the first self-taught chef to win three Michelin stars in Britain and was the first of British-Cypriot to be awarded the honour – widely regarded as the pinnacle of British gastronomy.
His two books My Gastronomy in 1987 and 1996’s Nicowere were described in part as memoir and part ‘kitchen psychology’.
Celebrity chef Sat Bains paid tribute to Ladenis as ‘a true gastronomic leader of chefs that inspired a whole generation’, while Tom Kerridge dubbed him a ‘a true culinary hero’.
Ladenis was not afraid to challenge guests if they showed poor behaviour and later ‘handed back’ his Michelin stars, a stun which former protégée White also did, while requesting the French guide not to return to his restaurants.
He later explained that an ongoing battle with prostate cancer was one of the reasons he turned his back on Michelin, as well as the pressure and expectations it heaped on diners.
He closed Simply Nico in Pimlico at the end of the 1990s and opened a casual French brasserie Icognico in 2000, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, followed by Deca in 2003.
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