Chef's Theatre - The Chefs

Aldo Zilli
Aldo Zilli is chef patron of the Zilli Fish group and is one of Soho's most flamboyant restaurateurs. Owner of Zilli Fish (the flagship restaurant), Zilli Café, Signor Zilli and Zilli Bar, Aldo is a larger than life personality whose profile has rocketed in recent years. Aldo is a member of the Ready Steady Cook team (BBC 2) which attracts viewers in excess of 2 million - a position he was invited to take after his immensely popular episodes for BBC 1's Sunday Life where he focused on food waste.  Aldo has written several books: his latest are Fish Cook (Jacqui Small Books, 2006) and his autobiography, Being Zilli (John Blake, 2008).  Aldo is currently working on his latest cookery book, provisionally entitled Zilli Fit, which is due for release early Spring 2010.

Susy Atkins
Susy Atkins is an author and broadcaster well known for her ability to communicate a traditional subject in a modern, lively manner. A weekly wine columnist for the Sunday Telegraph Stella Magazine, and wine editor of Delicious Magazine, she appears regularly on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen as a wine expert. Awarded the prestigious Communicator of the Year award in 2004 by the International Wine & Spirits Competition, Susy has been a guest and presenter on several Radio 4 programmes such as You & Yours, Woman's Hour, Excess Baggage and The Food Programme. She was the wine expert on Carlton Food Network's Fish Food and made regular appearances in UKTV's Great Food Live and Sunday Lunch Live, as well as appearing on Market Kitchen. She also regularly appeared live as a wine expert on Richard & Judy for their popular Wine Club strand. Author of eleven books, her most recent being Wine Made Easy (Mitchell Beazley, 2006).

Ed Baines
Ed Baines is the chef and co-owner of Randall & Aubin, the happening champagne and oyster bar in Soho. The tall, dark and handsome restaurateur is one of the hottest chefs in town. Ed is one of the judges on ITV 1's hugely successful Britain's Best Dish, now in its third series, and regularly drawing in viewing figures in excess of 2 million. The show, which is on our screens five times a week, focuses on the cooking talent of Britain and travels around the country to find the best dish in the land. There is a special celebrity edition to be broadcast later this year, also on ITV 1. Ed was also featured on ITV 1's Taste the Nation recently. In addition to his judging duties on Britain's Best Dish, Ed continues to be a favourite of Daily Cooks Challenge (ITV 1). His most recent book, Best of British, (Kyle Cathie)

Martin Blunos
Martin Blunos is one of the country's greatest chefs. Having held two Michelin stars for more than fifteen years, this blond haired, walrus-moustached Baltic giant of a man has a wicked sense of humour and is a most colourful character.  He was born and bought up near Bath, his parents having come to England from Latvia just after the Second World War.  Martin appears regularly on television and radio with regular slots as Guest Chef on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen with James Martin, ITV Daily Cooks, BBC Great Food Live! and Food Uncut.  He made ‘Tasting Times with Martin Blunos' a ten part series for ITV and was chosen to cook for Her Majesty The Queen during her Jubilee year which was documented in a 30 minute television programme and recently appeared on BBC1 in ‘All The Queen's Cooks'. Martin will be appearing in a new prime time TV series April 2010.


Dean Edwards
Dean Edwards is a relative newcomer to the food industry. After coming second in BBC's Masterchef Goes Large in 2006, he sought to change his life radically by leaving his career as a "digger driver" to pursue his love of cooking and food. A stint at the 2 Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge followed and after which, he returned home to Bristol to run a catering business specialising in dinner parties. Dean also appeared on Food Uncut in 2006, which generated a lot of interest from various productions companies resulting in him landing his own show Take on the Takeaway which aired on BBC2 in the summer of 2007. Dean made his debut in September 2009 as one of ITV's regular chefs on flagship daytime programme, This Morning where he continues to be a popular addition.

Tiffany Goodall
Tiffany's love of cooking began at a very early age when she compiled her own cookery scrap book at the age of ten.  Later on she successfully completed a cookery course at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland coming top of her class in the final exam.  Taking a gap year she travelled on a culinary journey throughout Thailand, Australia, Singapore, Bali, Vietnam and India gaining a great insight on the differences of cultures and food. Tiffany works with schools in Essex and hosts private cookery classes and dinner parties. She has worked with various companies including Marks and Spencer and Lurpak hosting demonstrations to very engrossed audiences.  Tiffany's first book ‘Pancakes To Pasta' contains recipes for all occasions for those at school, universities, colleges or people who want to learn how to cook from the beginning. Tiffany believes that cooking is a social thing and the best of fun!  It is a ‘bible' for all.  Her second book ‘The First Flat Cookbook' will be published summer 2010.

Sophie Grigson
Having published a phenomenal 21 cookery books, Sophie Grigson is synonymous with great food and has a natural ability to teach cookery in an informal and friendly way. Sophie was weaned in the world of cookery, of course, with her famous mother, the best-selling Jane Grigson. Her TV career began with the award winning sixteen part series Grow Your Greens, Eat Your Greens for Channel 4 and in 2001, Sophie won the Guild of Food Writers' Cookery Journalist Award. Sophie was also chosen to be on the Chair of Judges for the BBC's Food and Farming Awards for 2007. She was on the panel of judges for ITV's Britain's Best Dish, in addition to the celebrity version, as well as Gary Rhodes' Local Food Heroes in 2008. Sophie regularly appears on BBC1s Saturday Kitchen. She is Patron of the phenomenally successful Children's Food Festival.

Manju Malhi
The winner of the BBC Food & Drink competition, Manju beat hundreds of other contestants to secure a guest cookery spot on the BBC2 prime time show and was asked to appear again in the same program. Manju has published several books including Easy Indian Cookbook (Duncan Baird, 2008). Manju's cooking draws on her culture and combines this with the realities of urban Western life and has come up with her own unique "Brit-Indie" style of food. She loves experimenting and applies a fresh perspective on her heritage to come up with a fusion of British and Indian cuisine. She avoids using countless spices for her recipes and has simplified the fine art of Indian cuisine. In addition to be a successful author and television presenter, Manju regularly features at cooking events across the country, including the Ideal Home Show. She is currently working on her next book.

Richard Phillips
Richard trained under the Roux brothers and is the chef/patron of Thackeray's in Tunbridge Wells, which has a Michelin star and 3 AA rosettes.  He describes his food as, ‘Modern European' Cuisine producing unique dishes with complementing flavours, textures and colours. Richard first appeared on ITV's daytime 25-part food series Too Many Cooks as one of three chefs in the series who judge members of the public on their culinary skills, and he also regularly appeared on UKTV Food's daily show Great Food Live and ITV shows Daily Cooks and Saturday Cooks. He is a partner in four other food ventures and has an catering company. He is in the process of opening his fourth restaurant in Rye, Sussex. Most recently, Richard was seen on BBC1s Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and he continues to feature regularly on BBC2's daily show Ready Steady Cook.

John Burton-Race
John Burton-Race is a Michelin star chef, made famous by the Channel 4 series French Leave and its sequel Return of the Chef. Burton-Race was born in Singapore, spending his early years traveling, allowing him to experience food from all round the world. Between 1983 and 2002, he held positions at various acclaimed restaurants in the South of England, including: Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxford; the L'Ortolan restaurant in Berkshire; and in 2000, he took over The Landmark London hotel, winning two Michelin stars. In 1995 Burton Race joined an elite group of chefs as the winner of a coveted Catey Award - the Oscar of the UK hospitality industry. French Leave saw Burton Race move to France in 2002/2003, "to relearn and discover ingredients and his love of cooking after many years in the fast lane." In November 2007 he appeared in ITV's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

Jun Tanaka
Jun Tanaka has been Head Chef at Pearl in London since June 2004, where he has established an excellent reputation for his modern French cuisine. Prior to Pearl, Jun spent ten years working with some of London's best chefs, including Albert Roux, Nico Ladenis and Eric Chavot, in seven top Michelin star restaurants learning the art of French cuisine. In 2006 he presented his first series on Channel 4 called Cooking It and has made regular appearances on UKTV's Great Food Live, Daily Cooks. Most recently Jun has become a favourite guest chef on UKTVs Market Kitchen and BBC1's Saturday Kitchen. Jun continues to regularly feature at the Ideal Home Show and his first book, Simple to Sensational was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2009.

James Tanner
In 2003 James Tanner became the latest recruit to the ever-popular TV series Ready Steady Cook, joining the regular team of celebrity chefs on the BBC 2 show which now draws in close to 3 million viewers per episode. Since then he has become one of the most popular chefs around - he has appeared on Step up to the Plate (BBC1), Take on the Takeaway (BBC 2), Saturday Kitchen (BBC 1), Something for the Weekend (BBC 2) and a new series for BBC 2 called Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is, broadcast in April 2009.  James and his brother Chris own and operate, Tanners Restaurant in Plymouth where they put into practice their excellent Roux Brothers training. Their restaurant was voted as the Best Restaurant in the UK for 2007/8 in the AA Awards, a huge and rarely bestowed honour!

Phil Vickery
"Phil Vickery does English cooking better than anyone in the country," Jonathan Meades, Sunday Times Magazine. Over the years, AA Restaurant Guides rated Phil one of the top 20 chefs in Britain; his restaurant was awarded 4 rosettes and his restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Phil appears on ITVs This Morning the only live cookery slot on national TV, with viewing figures in excess of 3 million and has written a weekly column for one of Britain's biggest-selling Sunday supplements, and a monthly feature for a leading women's magazine. He is a consultant chef at the Lygon Arms, Broadway, Worcestershire and is a regular contributor to many TV and radio programmes. Phil has written numerous books, his latest being, The Proof Of the Pudding (Simon & Schuster 2009)

Lesley Waters
A former chef and cookery demonstrator, Lesley's lively personality makes her a popular television cook and a regular member of the team on Ready Steady Cook (BBC 2), and This Morning (ITV1). In 2008 Lesley was the main presenter of Little Chefs (ITV Westcountry). Lesley has written nearly twenty books including recent titles include New To Cooking (Ryland Peters and Small) and Healthy Food (Quadrille). She has also launched a series of paperback cookbooks with food retailer Julian Graves. Lesley is also a regular contributor to BBC Good Food Magazine and Asda Online magazine and has had her own column in 4 Girlz magazine. When not busy filming Lesley is busy running her immensely popular cookery school in Devon, the setting for which is the stunning Chartmarle manor in Dorset. Lesley also runs a catering company which delivers delicious food all over the country.

Details correct at time of publishing but are subject to change without notice - keep checking back for latest line up and additions.