Ainsley Harriott (born 28 February 1957) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
celebrity chefThe term celebrity chef applies to a class of chefs who are well known for presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television...
and television presenter.
Trained at Westminster College of Catering, Ainsley obtained an apprenticeship at Verrey's restaurant in the West End and later worked as a commis (trainee) chef. The son of pianist Chester Harriott, whose cousin was
free jazzFree jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s.Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
alto saxophonist
Joe HarriottJoseph Arthurlin 'Joe' Harriott was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone....
, his talents also lay in comedy and singing as well as cooking and Harriott formed the Calypso Twins with schoolfriend Paul Boross, releasing a hit record in the early 1990s, "World Party".
Ainsley Harriott (born 28 February 1957) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
celebrity chefThe term celebrity chef applies to a class of chefs who are well known for presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television...
and television presenter.
Early career
Trained at Westminster College of Catering, Ainsley obtained an apprenticeship at Verrey's restaurant in the West End and later worked as a commis (trainee) chef. The son of pianist Chester Harriott, whose cousin was
free jazzFree jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s.Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
alto saxophonist
Joe HarriottJoseph Arthurlin 'Joe' Harriott was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone....
, his talents also lay in comedy and singing as well as cooking and Harriott formed the Calypso Twins with schoolfriend Paul Boross, releasing a hit record in the early 1990s, "World Party". The Calypso Twins went on to be regular performers at
The Comedy Store, LondonThe Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England that was opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard.It was named after The Comedy Store club in the United States, which Rosengard visited the previous year...
and
JongleursJongleurs is the largest chain of comedy clubs in the UK. Established in 1983 by Maria Kempinska MBE and developed with her partner John Davy it has been the springboard...
They also performed in America and on TV and radio shows. Ainsley became head chef at
Lord's Cricket GroundLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
's Long Room. He was asked to present
More Nosh, Less Dosh on
BBC Radio 5BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
.
Harriott has worked as a chef in London hotels and restaurants including the Dorchester, Brown’s,
The HiltonThe London Hilton on Park Lane is a hotel and skyscraper situated on Park Lane, overlooking Hyde Park in the exclusive Mayfair district of London. It is tall and has 28 storeys and 450 rooms. It was completed in 1963 and was designed by William B. Tabler Architects. It is a concrete framed...
, The Westbury, Café Pelican and Quaglino’s.
Television work
He then crossed over to television to become the resident chef on
Good Morning with Anne and NickGood Morning with Anne and Nick was a BBC1 daytime television show presented by Anne Diamond and Nick Owen, from October 1992 to May 1996. The pair had previously presented TV-am on ITV, but now directly competed with ITV's This Morning....
and then as the main presenter of
Can't Cook, Won't CookCan't Cook, Won't Cook was a UK game show and cooking programme that was broadcast on BBC1 on weekday mornings usually after the Breakfast News from 20 November, 1995 to 7 July, 2000.-Format:...
and later
Ready, Steady, Cook. These shows involved heavy participation with members of the public and were ideal for showcasing Harriott's happy-go-lucky demeanour. However he has also presented more straightforward how-to-cook programmes such as
Ainsley's Barbecue Bible,
Ainsley's Meals in Minutes,
Ainsley's Big Cook Out and
Ainsley's Gourmet Express.
In 2000, Harriott made his debut on
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television with The Ainsley Harriott Show, syndicated by Buena Vista Television, which ran for more than 100 episodes. Following this he went on to host
Ready.. Set... Cook!Ready.. Set... Cook! was a cooking game show that debuted on the Food Network in the US on October 2, 1995. The show's format was based upon the UK series Ready Steady Cook, and originally hosted by television personality Robin Young.-Hosts:...
, the US version of
Ready Steady Cook-Basic Format:Ready Steady Cook is a BBC daytime TV cooking programme first aired on 24 October 1994. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
. His time in America clearly left an impression on
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
rapper
Obie TriceObie Trice III is an American musician. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records.-Biography:...
, who name-checked him in the song "Adrenaline Rush" on the
8 Mile SoundtrackMusic from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile is the official music soundtrack to the 2002 movie 8 Mile, starring Eminem, who raps on five of the tracks on this soundtrack. It was released under the Shady/Interscope label.-Album Information:...
when he rapped: "I cook up the hot shit like Ainsley Harriott".
He is a fan of the British sci-fi comedy series
Red DwarfRed Dwarf is a British television situation comedy franchise, primarily comprising eight series of a television sitcom that ran on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and gained a cult following. It was created by, and the first six series were written by, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor...
, having played the part of a
GELFG.E.L.F. or simply GELF is an acronym for Genetically Engineered LifeForm. It was used in two science fiction television programs, the U.S...
chief in the episode
Emohawk: Polymorph II"Emohawk: Polymorph II" is the fourth episode of the British science fiction sitcom TV show Red Dwarf VI and the 34th in the series run. It was first broadcast on BBC2 on 28 October 1993. Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and directed by Andy de Emmony, the episode features the crew again being...
in 1993. In 1998, for the show's 10th anniversary, Harriott presented a special edition of
Can't Cook, Won't Cook called
Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg with the cast of the show cooking a meal while remaining in character.
In September 2008, Harriott took part in the
genealogyGenealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
documentaryDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
series
Who Do You Think You Are?Who Do You Think You Are? is a British genealogy documentary series that has aired on the BBC since 2004. Made by Wall to Wall, in each episode, a celebrity goes on a journey to trace his or her family tree. Seven series have been broadcast, the most recent of which aired in July and August 2009...
, and discovered facts about his family history.
In September 2009 Harriott made a guest appearance as himself on
BBC ThreeBBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel is described by the BBC as an outlet for 'New drama, talent, comedy, films, and accessible news'. The channel is on-air from 19:00 to about 04:00 each night, in...
comedy sit-com
We Are KlangWe Are Klang is a three-piece sit-com group consisting of comedians Greg Davies, Steve Hall and Marek Larwood. Klang are noted for their anarchic and frequently rude comedy....
.
Writing
Harriott is also a best-selling
authorAn author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created...
, so far publishing twelve books as well as numerous others in conjunction with his TV shows. Including foreign-language translations, he has sold over 2 million books worldwide.
Other work
Harriott also does the voice over on the television advert for Covonia
cough medicineA cough medicine is a medicinal drug used to treat coughing and related conditions. Dry coughs are treated with cough suppressants that suppress the body's urge to cough, while productive coughs are treated with expectorants that loosen mucus from the respiratory tract...
and appeared on Fairy Liquid television adverts.
Harriott made a guest episode in the BBC radio comedy series Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off as himself, in 2006.
Ainsley was the
PresidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the
Television and Radio Industries ClubThe Television and Radio Industries Club is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries"...
(TRIC) 2004-2005 and presented their prestigious Awards Ceremony that year.
He has appeared in a series of corporate films for the Marriott hotel chain. Entitled "Ainsley's Marriotts" the short films involved him meeting Marriott staff, enjoying the facilities at a variety of hotels and giving the catering staff vital tips.
He also has his own range of food, including
couscousCouscous or kuskus as it is known in Brazil, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt is a dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them...
,
soupSoup is a food that is made by combining ingredients, such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth....
s and
cerealCereals, grains or cereal grains, {as a collective} are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their fruit seeds - the endocarp, germ and bran...
bars.
Ainsley was guest chef on
Something For The WeekendSomething for the Weekend is a British television series, broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday mornings. It features cookery, drinks, interviews with celebrity guests and clips from the week's television, as well as classic clips in the 'Deja View' section...
on Sunday 10 May 2009.
External links