TV chef Jamie Oliver has said shared an insight into the relationship with his “hero”, Marco Pierre White. He admitted that there is somewhat of a feud as the fellow cook “still doesn’t like him at all”, after he “destroyed” him when the pair first met.
The 49-year-old said his Michelin-starred rival was important for the restaurant industry, despite Pierre White previously describing Oliver as “a fat chef with a drum kit” during a 2007 interview.
Jamie appeared on The Louis Theroux Podcast where he was asked about the supposed fallout. The TV chef explained: “Oh he doesn’t like me at all, still doesn’t. I don’t know (why).
“I have no shared history with him, working under him, so, he doesn’t have a sense of control. I mean, I could easily start saying, look, we don’t get on, more importantly, he was really important for the industry.”
He continued: “When I was a very young chef, the industry was quite dark and boring, and it felt like from a different era and he came along, and he was incredible, and his sort of energy and attitude was so cool, he was my hero, for sure.”
“We went on a shoot one day, spent a day with him and it was perfectly lovely, and then a week later he just destroyed me on a double-page spread.
“I was really pleased to meet him, but he just destroyed me. And then you sort of think, well that was sort of a bit low.
“But, you meet people you love and often they’re like, they clearly think you’re a w****r. So that’s fine. I don’t need anything from him.”
Despite the feeling not being mutual, Jamie continued to share his admiration as he said: “I still think he was a game changer. He was still my hero for that period of my life. But, that’s life and it’s not just Marco, it’s lots of people it’s happened to.”
Another chef that Jamie has had squabbles with us 58-year-old Gordon Ramsay. In 2016, the sweary chef accused Jamie of only campaigning on issues when he had “something to promote”.
But recently the pair were said to have made up and are “currently friends” after being told to “grow up” by their wives and children.
Jamie also said Gordon was “very supportive” when his restaurant empire, which included Jamie’s Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen, collapsed into administration in May 2019.
The full interview can be heard on The Louis Theroux Podcast which is currently available on Spotify. Representatives for Marco Pierre White have been approached for comment.
