Theo Randall
Restaurant: Theo Randall at The InterContinental
Theo Randall's love affair with Italian food began in childhood, when family holidays took him through rural Italy in the search for food and wine to take home - along with frequent stops at trattorie and panetterie. In his early twenties, Randall began an apprenticeship with Max Magarian of Chez Max before finding himself in the newly opened The River Café, where Ruth Rogers' and Rose Gray's now legendary kitchen turned out seasonal Italian cooking and a long line of alumni that makes up a who's who of contemporary cooking. At The River Café, Randall was able to put his relationships with small artisan producers to good use.
In 1991 he spent a year working with one of America's most influential chefs, Alice Walters at her restaurant Chez Panisse. Returning to England, Rose and Ruth made Randall head chef and partner in the business: "I could have happily stayed at The River Café forever but I always felt that I might look back and wonder if I could ever have done it on my own. So, after seventeen happy years by the river, I decided to have a go on my own. In November 2006 I opened my first restaurant, Theo Randall at The InterContinental Park Lane."
Randall's first book,
Pasta, was published in June 2010. In addition, he wrote the foreword to
Where to Go When: Italy, and he featured in the influential
Coco: 10 World-Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs. He was also chosen by Gordon Ramsay as one of the chefs he most admires. To add to his many accolades, the
Evening Standard has listed him as one to watch in their list of 1000 Foodies.
Theo’s rising profile has been bolstered by the many television appearances he has made of late. He is now a firm favourite on
Market Kitchen and has taken part in many other shows including
Celebrity MasterChef,
Countryfile,
Beat the Chef,
Something for the Weekend and
Saturday Kitchen as well as work for Food Network.
Theo will be appearing live in the AEG Taste Theatre at 1pm on Saturday 3rd December, and will be hosting a book signing after his demonstration.