Jean-Christophe Novelli facts for kids
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| Born | 22 February 1961 Arras, France |
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| Cooking style | Mediterranean Style French |
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Current restaurant(s)
Novelli at City Quays, AC Marriott - Belfast NI
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Jean-Christophe Novelli (born February 22, 1961) is a famous French chef, restaurant owner, and television personality. He is known for his delicious cooking and for appearing on many TV shows. He has even been honored with an MBE for his charity work.
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Early Life
Jean-Christophe Novelli was born in Arras, France, in 1961. He left school when he was 14 years old and began working in a bakery. By the age of 20, he became a personal chef for the wealthy Rothschild family. His father's family came from Italy.
Career Highlights
Jean-Christophe moved to Britain in 1983. He worked in several well-known places, including the Chewton Glen Hotel. He also managed Keith Floyd's Maltster's Arms restaurant.
Earning Stars and Awards
Novelli earned his first of four Michelin stars as a head chef at Gordleton Mill. He also won an award for Best Outstanding Dessert from Egon Ronay. Later, he became the head chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in London.
Opening Restaurants
In 1996, he opened his own restaurant, Maison Novelli, in London. He then opened more restaurants in London, France, and South Africa. Jean-Christophe also started opening gastro-pubs, which are pubs that serve high-quality food. His first gastro-pub was The White Horse.
In 2005, he started the Novelli Academy Cookery School at his home in Hertfordshire. He also opened brasserie-style restaurants in hotels, like the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Liverpool. In 2018, he opened 'Novelli at City Quays' in a new hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Cookbooks
In 2013, Novelli released a cookbook called "Simply Novelli." In this book, he wanted to show people that French cooking is not as hard or time-consuming as some might think.
Novelli Academy
The Novelli Academy Cookery School opened in 2005. It is located at his 14th-century home in Hertfordshire. Jean-Christophe still teaches cooking classes there. He hosts public, private, and online masterclasses. He also organizes team-building events for companies. In his classes, Novelli teaches healthy cooking. He shows how to use his unique flavors instead of too much salt and sugar. He also teaches how to reduce saturated fats in meals.
Awards and Recognition
Jean-Christophe Novelli is a highly awarded chef. He has received 5/5 AA Rosettes and multiple Michelin Stars. People have called him "The Nation’s Favourite French Chef." He was also a finalist for European Chef of the Year, representing Great Britain. He won the Egon Ronay Dessert of the Year award. Other chefs voted him the AA's Chef's Chef of the Year. His Novelli Academy is known as one of the Top 25 Cooking Academies in the World.
In 2007, the University of Bedfordshire gave him an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree. In March 2021, he received an honorary MBE from the Queen. This award was for his many acts of "voluntary and charitable service."
TV Appearances
Jean-Christophe Novelli has appeared on many television shows.
- In 2003, he was on the first series of The Games.
- In 2005, he was one of the Head Chefs in the second series of Hell's Kitchen with Gary Rhodes.
- In 2006, Novelli performed in a group with other chefs on The X Factor: Battle of the Stars.
- He was a contestant on Family Fortunes with his fiancée Michelle Kennedy.
- In 2007, he appeared on The Apprentice: You're Fired!
- In 2009, Jean-Christophe hosted his own show for Bravo TV (USA) called Chef Academy. On this show, he tried to train nine aspiring chefs to become professionals.
- In 2010, he worked with the Potato Council for a cooking competition.
- In 2012, he was a judge on Britain's Best Chef (ITV).
- He appeared on ITV's This Morning, ITV Loose Women, and The Alan Titchmarsh Show in 2014. He was also on Britain's Got More Talent in 2015.
- Jean-Christophe often gives cooking demonstrations around the world. He shares his passion for cooking and teaches people to cook healthier meals. He focuses on using less saturated fats, low sugars, and no salt.
- In late 2015, he was on BBC One's A Question of Sport.
- In January 2016, he appeared on the BBC1 show Countryfile, showing how to use rape seed oil.
- He was also in the audience for Derren Brown's TV special "The Gathering."
- In 2017, he was a judge for the ITV show Culinary Genius.
- In 2019, he and chef Aldo Zilli won the third season of the Channel 4 show Celebrity Hunted.
- In February 2021, Jean-Christophe cooked live on Steph's Packed Lunch. He also made pancakes with his sons on Jeremy Vine on 5. He prepared some of his classic dishes for Raymond Blanc on Simply Raymond Blanc.
- In October 2023, it was announced that Novelli would be a judge on the Australian cooking show MasterChef Australia in 2024. He joined new judges Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin, and returning judge Andy Allen.
Personal Life
Jean-Christophe Novelli has been married twice. His first wife was Tina, and they have a daughter named Christina Novelli (born 1986). Christina is a musician and songwriter. His second wife was Anzelle Visser, whom he married in 1999. They divorced in 2005.
In 2007, Novelli got engaged to Michelle Kennedy. They have three sons together. Their first son was born in 2008. Their second son, Jacques, was born in 2012. Their third son, Valentino, was born in 2016. Valentino has a rare genetic condition called 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome.
