Time is a filter that warps. It’s often repeated that the first British chef to win three Michelin stars was Marco Pierre White, but he didn’t cross the finish line alone: in 1995, the guide that year awarded two restaurants run by Brits the highest accolade — one was White’s, the other was Park Lane’s Chez Nico, run by Nico Ladenis. Ladenis died yesterday, aged 89.
While White was lauded for his youth — he was just 33 at the time — Ladenis arguably had the more impressive boast: he was entirely self-taught. Few chefs of his calibre ever are.
