Many people who have worked for the notoriously bad-tempered chef Gordon Ramsay found the heat in the kitchen a bit too hot to handle. But not so for Neill Anthony, who was a pastry chef at Ramsay’s restaurant in Royal Hospital Road in London. He describes the experience as one of the best he’s had and wouldn’t trade that time for anything .
In many ways, working his way through restaurants and learning as much as he could from the age of 17, was his way of making sure a lack of formal cooking training wouldn’t hold him back. Anthony spent 10 years in Europe, honing his skills in the professional kitchens of Jerome Henry, Marcus Wareing and Alyn Williams.
He then returned to Cape Town to become a personal chef, cooking restaurant-quality food for clients in their homes. "You always have to be on top of your game," he says.
Anthony is now the star of Private Chef, a reality television show that offers viewers a glimpse into his day-to-day life.
The location may be an ocean-side villa, a game farm, or even a tiny kitchen on a yacht.
And while the nature or size of the request doesn’t matter, what does is the dining extravaganza he’s expected to deliver to please the most demanding of clients.
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