Angela Hartnett shares her story, from studying history to creating a culinary podcast. Yet, there is also an opportunity for a wider consideration of the chef's profession.
The News
Having all the training and talent in the world may not be sufficient for Angela Hartnett: managing a successful kitchen, according to her, goes beyond food. "It's about how you and your chefs treat each other," says the chef, whose Mayfair restaurant, Murano, earned a Michelin star just four months from opening. "After all, why should a kitchen be any different from everyday life? Treat people right, in the kitchen as well as in life," adds Hartnett, 54, who also co-hosts the Waitrose & Partners podcast Dish with Nick Grimshaw.
She recognizes that it can be tough for people to maintain their commitment to their good intentions when they feel exhausted. But for her, who cut her teeth in the mid-90s at Aubergine, Gordon Ramsay's first restaurant, it represents a primary goal. Hartnett, who lives in London with her husband, fellow chef Neil Borthwick, credits her Italian mother and grandmother for inspiring her deep love for food. Her father passed away when she was eight years old, after which she, her mother, brother, and sister moved to Essex to be closer to their grandparents—and she often spoke about the art of making pasta with her grandmother and cherished family meals. It’s worth mentioning that Hartnett studied history before deciding to pursue a career in the kitchen, learning on the job.
She ended up working with Ramsay for 17 years, later joining Marcus Wareing at Pétrus and earning her first Michelin star at The Connaught in 2004. She opened Murano in 2008 and is now one of the most prominent women in the restaurant world. However, for Hartnett, food also represents a powerful means of sharing, a thought that matured during the pandemic. "It's sad that it took COVID for people to realize this," she ponders "Sitting down at the table together every evening might seem unrealistic, but if you can do it twice a week, with your family, friends, or others, then it's truly a good thing." The conversation continues on Dish, which recently returned for a third series. Each episode features Hartnett and Grimshaw chatting with a famous guest while Hartnett prepares a dish in the background. The recipes are also shared online for listeners to recreate.
However, cooking doesn't always mean making fancy things. "At the end of the day, you can sit there and talk about Michelin stars, but we all need to eat: food keeps us alive. It's about supporting your body, and nothing is more true than 'you are what you eat", says Hartnett. "And I think the meal shouldn't be rushed; sitting down and eating slowly is a good thing, it helps your digestion." Hartnett is pleasantly pragmatic in her approach to well-being, as she is with everything else. "I try to walk as much as possible, I don't eat a lot of things that are necessarily bad, but I do drink. I do things that make me happy. And drinking wine and eating red meat makes me happy," she says. Although she doesn't believe "we need to eat meat every night." She continues, "I'm always more of an optimist than a pessimist." Where does she think this optimistic view comes from?
"I think it's my upbringing. I don't think you can underestimate the influence of family and friends when you're growing up. I've been lucky enough to have good family connections, and I still do," says Hartnett, who lived with her sister Anne until relatively recently. Working in the kitchen? It can be stressful, she agrees, but "I don't think the restaurant industry is tougher than many other sectors," adds Hartnett. "There are many stressful things, and it's how you deal with them, how you solve them, that's important. In the end, we're just cooking carrots and a piece of lamb: let's put it in perspective. We're not rocket scientists, we're not neurosurgeons, we're not trying to cure cancer." She says she's more of a person who takes life "as it comes" rather than someone who sets goals. "I think sometimes there’s a bit of fate involved , the way you make your decisions is partly destiny. I like that life is changeable. So, live in the moment," says Hartnett. "And take care of the people you love"
Source: irishnews.com
Cover photo: @Evening Standard
