John Quilter
The Chefs | Gallery | Showreel
JOHN QUILTER
Consultant, restaurateur, presenter, chef, surfer……
John Quilter was the head chef and proprietor of the Michelin-listed Manchester restaurant Marmalade.
John’s aim is ‘to redefine the local’ by championing British ingredients and regional specialties and it was a winning formula, Marmalade won many awards - The prestigious Best New Comer Award at the Manchester Food & Drink Festival Awards and Best New Comer at the Cheshire Life Food and Drink Awards, featured in the Red Michelin Guide.
Born in the Midlands John Quilter is a restaurateur with over 15 years experience of creating, opening and running restaurants. He has managed Brasseries for Sir Terrance Conran and Raymond Blanc, as well as pubs for Manchester legend the Victorian Chop House Company. John comes from the old school of restaurateurs, not scared to get his hands dirty and un-fazed by stepping into the heat of the kitchen. He has done stints in all the kitchens he has run and regularly cooked in Marmalade.
John now has numerous consultancy projects, he specializes in media set up & turn arounds. He is a consultant to some of the countries most exciting food business including DJ Mr. Scruff`s Tea Shop in Manchester, Caprice Holdings (The Ivy, J. Sheekeys, Le caprice) and Soho House Group. In his role as a Media Chef Trainer he advises businesses on how best to develop their presence and works one on one with head chefs, taking them through his unique training program.
John has just relocated to London and is now a resident of Notting Hill. His move is motivated by his love for `gorilla urban foodies`, delighting in the pop-ups, markets & allotments of the capital. This is best demonstrated by the launch of his Victorian Sausage business on London’s historic Brick Lane Market. The sausages are made to bespoke recipes by chefs not butchers, using only the finest ingredients. You can catch him there every Sunday.
John`s TV credits include Richard & Judy, Market Kitchen and he is soon to be seen on BBC1`s new flagship show for the autumn, The High Street. He appears as their food historian, high lighting his extensive knowledge of British food.
John’s has a passion for all things English and his quest to overcome our “Great English Inferiority Complex”. For him it`s about honest back to basic British cooking. John travels throughout the UK meeting small independent producers and creates menus for his consultancies from the various regions “food hero`s” celebrating Britain`s long illustrious history of agriculture and horticulture and Britain`s enviable natural larder regarded by many as the best in the world.
John’s passion for a renaissance of Britishness is best shown by his regular trips around Britain`s coastline in his VW van. A keen surfer and with several trips to places like Australia under his belt John loves nothing better than touring the coast surfing the numerous breaks around our isles, meeting producers and discovering unique English ingredients. “It`s not comfort food but emotional food that talks to our feelings. It`s about emotional and physical well being, a reconnecting to our traditions our culture and our land. It`s food therapy for the uptight English man or woman. It’s basically a hug from your mum.”
John appears at media events and presents food festivals throughout the UK, in his spare time he takes his VW camper and heads to the coast - surfing is a passion fulfilled at every opportunity!
© Biography Celebrity Chefs UK 2010
