The Go To Food Podcast Chef Sally Clarke - The Secrets To Remaining A Great Restaurant For 40+ Years - Why Alice Waters Is A Genius & Banning A Hollywood Director!
Today we’re joined by arguably the most iconic female chef in the country in the legendary Sally Clarke, who's been the owner and chef patron at Clarke's in Kensington for over 41 years. Sally ironically failed her O level in cookery and yet has gone on to become one of the most successful chef and restaurant owners in the country. Clarke's is a London institution and the restaurant is the favourite of everyone from Mick Jagger to Bono - David Hockney to Paul Smith and all in between. In only her 2nd ever audio interview, Sally reveals how she fell in love with food through the books of Elizabeth David and her travels across France as a child. However it was when she headed to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in the early 70s when she knew that this was going to be her life. Having worked at 3 of the most famous restaurants in the City she came back to London to work alongside Pru Leith at her cookery school, but within a year found herself moving to live in California to work at some of the greatest new age restaurants. It was here she met and fell in love with Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, and was inspired 5 years later in 1983 to return to London and set up Clarke's following in the same farm to table ethos and daily changing set menu as her culinary hero and friend. However, setting up a restaurant as a female head chef and owner wasn't easy in the early 1980s and we hear about; the disastrous problems she encountered, and rude sexist male customers and suppliers she had to deal with. We also hear about her friendship with Lucian Freud who used to eat breakfast and lunch at the restaurant everyday and how she had the privilege of being the last person ever to sit for him. Also, alongside the restaurant Sally runs an incredibly successful commercial bakery that sells over 90,000 handmade Mince Pies each year and beat all her Parisian competition to provide the pastries for the Eurostar. Sally very kindly also shares her secrets to success including; how to create the ultimate menu, the 'Art Of The Table, how to treat your customers and why she never ever gives her customers the bill.
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