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 is a famous French chef. He is also a restaurateur, meaning he owns restaurants. You might have seen him on TV too! He was born in France on February 22, 1961. He has even been honored with an MBE.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Jean-Christophe Novelli grew up in Arras, a town in northern France. He left school when he was 14 years old. His first job was working in a bakery. When he was 20, he became a personal chef for the rich Rothschild family. His father's family came from Italy.
Becoming a Star Chef
Novelli moved to Britain in 1983. He worked in many different places. These included the Chewton Glen Hotel. He also managed Keith Floyd's Maltster's Arms restaurant. He earned his first of four Michelin stars at Gordleton Mill. Michelin stars are a very high award for restaurants. He also won an award for Best Outstanding Dessert. This was from Egon Ronay, another famous food guide. Later, he became the head chef at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane.
In 1996, he opened his own restaurant. It was called Maison Novelli in Clerkenwell, London. He then opened more restaurants. These were in London, France, and South Africa. Novelli also started opening gastro-pubs. His first one was The White Horse in Harpenden.
In 2005, he started the Novelli Academy Cookery School. This school is at his home in Hertfordshire. In 2018, he opened 'Novelli at City Quays'. This restaurant is in the new AC Marriott hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Sharing His Recipes
In 2013, Novelli released a recipe book. It was called "Simply Novelli". In this book, he wanted to show that French cooking is not always hard. He wanted to prove it doesn't take a long time to prepare.
Awards and Honors
Jean-Christophe Novelli is a highly awarded chef. He has earned 5/5 AA Rosettes. He has also won many Michelin Stars. People have called him "The Nation’s Favourite French Chef". He was a finalist for European Chef of the Year. He also received the Egon Ronay Dessert of the Year award. Other chefs voted him the AA's Chef's Chef of the Year.
His Novelli Academy has been named one of the Top 25 Cooking Academies in the World. He still owns it and teaches classes there. He also does cooking shows for people.
In 2007, he received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree. This was from the University of Bedfordshire. In 2021, he was given an honorary MBE. This was for his many acts of charity work.
TV Appearances
Jean-Christophe Novelli has been on many TV shows.
- In 2003, he was on the first series of The Games.
- In 2005, he was a Head Chef on Hell's Kitchen. He worked with Gary Rhodes.
- In 2006, he appeared on The X Factor: Battle of the Stars. He sang in a group with other chefs.
- He has been a contestant on Family Fortunes. He played with his fiancée Michelle Kennedy.
- In 2007, he was on The Apprentice: You're Fired! on BBC Two.
- In 2009, he hosted his own show for Bravo TV (USA). It was called Chef Academy. He tried to train 9 new chefs.
- In 2012, he was a judge on Britain's Best Chef (ITV).
- He appeared on ITV's This Morning and Loose Women in 2014.
- In 2015, he was on Britain's Got More Talent.
- He also appeared on BBC One's A Question of Sport in late 2015.
- In 2016, he was on Countryfile on BBC1. He talked about rape seed oil.
- He was in the audience for Derren Brown's TV special "The Gathering".
- In 2017, he was a judge for Culinary Genius on ITV.
- In 2019, he and chef Aldo Zilli won Celebrity Hunted on Channel 4.
- In 2021, he cooked live on Steph's Packed Lunch on C4. He also made pancakes with his sons on Jeremy Vine on 5. He was a guest chef on Simply Raymond Blanc on ITV.
- In 2023, it was announced he would be a judge on MasterChef Australia in 2024.
Jean-Christophe often does cooking demonstrations. He travels around Europe and the world. He shares his love for cooking. He also teaches people to cook healthier meals. He focuses on using less unhealthy fats, low sugars, and no salt.
The Novelli Academy
In 2005, Jean-Christophe Novelli opened the Novelli Academy. It is located in his 14th-century home in Hertfordshire. Novelli still teaches cooking classes there. These include public, private, and online lessons. He also hosts team-building events for companies. At the Academy, Novelli teaches healthy cooking. He replaces salt and sugar with his own special flavors. He also shows how to reduce saturated fats.
Family Life
Jean-Christophe Novelli has four children. His daughter, Christina Novelli, is a musician and songwriter. He also has three sons.
