If one were to take a guess naming a chef operating in England as one of first ones to receive the ultimate Three Star Status by the Michelin Guide, I would bet very few would know it was the person I’m featuring today. Many might guess or know Marco Pierre White. He did win in 1995 … 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 Chez Nico, run by Nico Ladenis. Nico was of Greek descent, born in Tanganyika and moved to London.
Ironically White and Ladenis both turned their respective three stars back in 1999. For different reasons. Both were famed equally for their talent as their bad ass reputations for being incredibly demanding of both their teams and their guests upon occasion. Ladenis was known for his fiery temper and his mantra “the customer is not always right”,
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. Almost unheard of at this strata.
One of my favorite stories about him was this when guests didn’t show up for their reservations.
He used to ring people up at home after service, at one or two in the morning … waking them up of course … to ask them “if they still wanted their table” … or if he could “let the staff go home now.”
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/sep/11/nico-ladenis-obituary