Radar: Rowley Leigh - A Life Through Food

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'A Long and Messy Business' is the name of Rowley Leigh's latest cookery book, and it alludes to how describes his life as a chef. Attending Clifton College, he went on to study English at Cambridge before heading to London and working his way up from burger bars, through Le Gavroche, to opening his own restaurant 'Kensington Place' in 1987. While it may appear on the surface that Leigh lived something of a charmed life – public school, Cambridge, and then seemingly falling into a job at Le Gavroche and then effortlessly opening his own restuarants – , it seems underpinned with a dogged work ethic and passion for food — in short, as self-deprecating as he is, he seems to have made his own luck. A chef best known for his parmesan custard and anchovy toasts which he served at The Café Anglais, this interview with Dan Saladino – one of the best food journalists around today with an easy interviewing style – is a joy to listen to. I love listening to these interviews with chefs and hearing about their way into the kitchen, their backgrounds, and inspirations. So often food is a lens through which to view the world and for Leigh food is about balance of flavour, provenance of ingredients, and keeping it simple. He's a writer I'll be going back to and I'll certainly be checking out his books. I particularly enjoyed when he said that he doesn't understand the macho, sweary depictions of kitchens on television as the places he's worked at have usually been calm and serene because they were well ordered and organised. His intellect and sensibility for good food done well shines through in this excellent 30-minute interview.