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During his culinary training, Jean-Christophe was
contacted by a chain of restaurants named PLM St
Jacques, belonging to the Rothschild family (the well
known aristocratics). They offered him a temporary job
with the company in one of their restaurants near
Bastia, which was experiencing difficulties. Jean-Christophe
helped to revive their fortunes and subsequently was
offered a position at the PLM St Jacques in Paris. Six
months after his arrival in the capital, he was off
again, this time to Cologne for the opening of another
PLM. Finally Jean Christophe returned to Paris, where
he was introduced to Elie de Rothschild.
Elie de Rothschild was so impressed
with Jean Christophe’s cooking talent he asked him to
work in his own kitchens. Appreciated and respected by
the family, he was given the title of private chef to
Eli’s son, Nathanael, with whom he travelled widely.
In this priveleged position, he found himself
attracted to the English language which was used
frequently during the family’s entertaining, and
acting on good advice, he decided to take his life in
a new direction. So at 22, he packed his belongings
and left the family for England with only two pieces
of luggage and a packet of cigarettes.
His first job was at the
Michelin-starred Chewton-Glen Hotel where for two and
a half years he perfected his cooking skills - though
not the English language! On leaving Chewton Glen, he
opted for a series of jobs in less luxurious places
where he could learn about more traditional English
cooking.
But the real story began when Jean-Christophe
was spotted by Keith Floyd, the well known TV chef and
personality, who offered him the position of manager
of his famous restaurant/pub in Devon, where he was
given the title of chef/patron. After a little while,
Keith Floyd offered him a partnership, but, concerned
that it might prevent him from developing his own
style, he decided to leave in order to find himself -
and his new goal became to gain a Michelin star.
In the spring of 1991, Jean-Christophe,
eager as ever for a new challenge, took up the
position of chef/patron at "Le Provence" at the
Gordleton Mill in Hampshire. He could not have hoped
for the success that followed. Just six months after
taking over, Jean-Christophe was crowned with the
ultimate reward, a Michelin star, an achievement all
the more amazing, since he was in charge of a very
young kitchen team. In the same year, Le Provence was
voted best restaurant by the Times newspaper. Jean-Christophe
received the Egon Ronay dessert of the year award for
his famous Jack in the Box, with hazelnuts and caramel
springs and was also voted "Face of the future" by the
Times. In addition "Le Provence" which also offered
seven bedrooms, gained two red stars, an award
received only by the best hotels.
Two years later he was offered a
position as chef de cuisine at the Four Seasons in
Park Lane in London, a five star luxury hotel which
gave him his chance to make a mark in the capital, and
win another Michelin star. In 1995 he was voted the AA
Chef’s Chef of the Year by the chefs of Great Britain
and the following year The Four Seasons became the
only hotel in Britain to be awarded five AA rosettes,
with Jean-Christophe the only non-proprietor chef to
obtain the distinction.
By now he was starting to think
about opening his own restaurant, and with only £500
in the bank, an offer from Sea France to become
consultant chef for their Dover-Calais cross channel
ferries came at a perfect time. With the money he
earned from this position he was able to secure a bank
loan - albeit begrudingly agreed. Jean-Christophe
bought an old run down bistro, Le café St Pierre, in
Clerkenwell Green, near the City, and turned it very
rapidly into one of the best and most popular places
in London, despite the decor, done on a shoe string,
with the help of family and friends! Not long after
the newly christened Maison Novelli opened its doors
in the spring of 1996, he won another Michelin star
and an award for best restaurant.
By now things were happening very
fast - perhaps too fast. He bought The Ark, a run down
restaurant in Notting Hill Gate, and turned it into a
trendy bistro, then bought the building next door to
Maison Novelli which opened in 1997 under the name of
Novelli EC1. In November 1997 a franchise, Novelli at
the Cellars (a five star hotel in Cape Town, South
Africa), was launched and featured by the prestigious
Relais et Châteaux organisation. He bought "Le Moulin
de Jean", a restaurant/mill in Normandy and invested
in a restaurant in Mayfair, named "Les Saveurs de
Jean-Christophe Novelli", which received a Michelin
star just after opening. He even considered buying Le
Provence in Hampshire, where he had won his first
Michelin star, and invested a good deal of money in
the project, before having to let it go after
irrevocable difficulties with the owner.
In just two years, Jean-Christophe
Novelli had built up the Novelli Restaurant Group,
comprising six restaurants and 200 staff. He was
featured in the New York Times and British, French and
foreign television channels began to take an interest.
He appeared on French TV alongside Christine Okrent
and Maïte, among others, and one French channel called
him "mister 2000 volts" in reference to his
extraordinary energy.
He was also being courted as much
for his good looks and charm as his talents in the
kitchen. Sometimes it was difficult to know whether
the women customers were more attracted by his famous,
extravagant desserts or the chance of glimpsing him in
the restaurant. Several times he was voted the sexiest
chef in England, and "Harpers and Queen" voted him the
fifth most alluring man in the world.
By now he was caught up in a hectic
schedule, running between the restaurants, doing
interviews, charity functions and major events,
demonstrations in schools and on cruises, and creating
special dinners for the likes of Naomi Campbell or
Claudia Schiffer. Well known faces frequently came to
eat at his restaurants - Tony Blair, Salmon Rushtie,
David Bowie ... Geri Haliwell was seen in the
restaurant talking about her departure from the Spice
Girls, which she made official the next day...
Princess Ann invited Jean Christophe to a private
function and he took part in a hunting day with
Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie during their
honeymoon. Arnold Schwarzenneger invited him to the
New York Four Seasons during the promotional tour for
his book, Your place or Mine?, which received several
awards, including the gold medal in Germany.
He lent his face to adverts for
Nokia, Evian, Badoit, Twinings Tea, Rotary watches,
and was offered consultancies for Carte Noire coffee
and Billington sugar amongst others. He also had a
column in the Saturday Times Magazine called Novelli’s
Secrets.
However, for a while now, Jean-Christophe
has stayed away from the TV screens, and kept himself
out of the press, partly to recover physically and
mentally from the pressures and hard work that his
lifestyle has involved, and partly to strengthen his
financial situation.
In his position alone at the head
of his enterprise, with no partners to share the load,
he refused, a year previously, a proposition by two
restaurant businesses to take over some of his
restaurants and float them on the Stock market.
Determined not to lose the personality of the
restaurants he had built up, he was reluctant either
to sell or to re-structure. However, the financial
climate finally got the better of him, and he had to
surrender.
He offloaded some of his
restaurants and thanks to the advice and financial
help of numerous friends, such as Marco-Pierre White,
one of the biggest names in the British restaurant
world, Jean-Christophe concentrated his energies on
the two establishments closest to his heart: Maison
Novelli and Novelli EC1. Taking a long look at his
life, he turned to sport to help him clear his mind
and relax, taking up golf and even competing in the
2000 London triathlon.
Still at the head of Maison Novelli
he is currently working with his good friend
Marco-Pierre White on various projects, including a
new design for the restaurant, which has begun with
the refurbishment of the private dining rooms. More
importantly, without the distractions of a big
restaurant group, he has returned to the stove, and is
daily creating new recipes, while examining proposals
for writing another book. He is consultant to a luxury
restaurant in Devon, the Wills, is planning to tour
South Africa and Australia, and a television
documentary is set to record the story of the rise and
fall of his empire, and his successful comeback.
The Jean-Christophe story is one of
a lightning rise to fame, during which time he made
some good choices, some bad, but everything that has
happened has contributed to making him the person he
is today - someone who remains passionate about
restaurants and cooking, and is still full of
surprises. The story is not over yet...
Maison Novelli, 29
Clerkenwell Green, Farringdon, London EC1
Tel: +44 (0)171 251 6606 Fax 490 1083
Read about Jean-Christophe's
book Your place or mine
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