Celebrity chef Jason Atherton on his three loves – food, fashion and fitness
The Briton behind Hong Kong restaurants Aberdeen Street Social and 22 Ships talks about running away from home to be a chef, learning from Ferran Adria and Gordon Ramsay and why he likes to work out
Describe your childhood. “I grew up in a small seaside town called Skegness, in Lincolnshire, [eastern England] that had a bad reputation for food. But my mum is a good cook. She had a bed and breakfast, and would cook British food like beef pie from scratch.
“My mum and stepfather worked very hard. He was a joiner by day, building people’s houses, and at night he’d help run the B&B and serve behind the bar. My sister and I helped people with their bags, stocked up the bar, peeled potatoes. Subconsciously I was learning hospitality; lots of people think it’s subservient, but it’s not. I don’t think I’m serving anybody. I built a £70 million empire with 17 restaurants around the world from being a cook. So is it that bad a job?”
Why did you choose home economics over physical education at school? “I love the process, how you can turn something from a raw state into something you can eat and enjoy. I felt at home. But I never thought about being a chef – I thought I wanted to be in the army and did it for six weeks. You had to do six weeks of basic training before you were allowed to leave. I absolutely hated it. The discipline of the army is what I now love about my job, but I suppose I was a bit too young.
“Who at the age of 16 is ready for a serious amount of discipline – waking up at 6am, being shouted at, ironing all your clothes, making sure your bed was made so that you could bounce a 50 pence on it and it would bounce back up to the hand, marching, running, taking your rifle apart? I realised I was more of a creative person.”