Nico Ladenis Explained

Nico Peter Ladenis
Birth Date:22 April 1934
Birth Place:Tanganyika
Spouse:Dinah-Jane Ladenis (m. 1963)
Education:Prince of Wales School, Kenya and Hull University
Ratings:
  • Michelin stars (1995–1999)
5 AA RosettesDr of Economics
Prevrests:
  • Chez Nico
  • Chez Nico, Dulwich
  • Chez Nico, Battersea
  • Chez Nico, Shinfield
  • Simply Nico, Rochester Row
  • Chez Nico, Great Portland Street
  • Nico Central, Great Portland Street
  • Chez Nico (Nico at 90) Grosvenor House Hotel, 90,Park Lane
  • Incognico, Shaftesbury Avenue
  • Deca, Conduit Street
Awards:Lifetime Achievement Award – 2015 The Catey Awards

Nico Ladenis (22 April 1934 – 10 September 2023) was a British self-taught chef who was the first to gain three Michelin Stars.

After gaining a degree in Economics at Hull, he worked at The Sunday Times, where he met his wife Dinah-Jane. They have two daughters, Natasha Robinson, born in 1964 and Isabella Wallace, born in 1966 and one granddaughter, Lily-Rose Wallace, born in 1999.

Best known for his fiery temper and his mantra "the customer is not always right", he taught a generation of British chefs who went on to run their own businesses, win Michelin stars and become household names.

Chez Nico, a truly family-run restaurant was for many years, the highest-rated restaurant in the UK. It had 3 Michelin Stars, ten out of ten in the Good Food Guide and 5 AA Rosettes.

Ladenis wrote two semi-autobiographical books, My Gastronomy and Nico.

His mottos were "Precision, Restraint, Simplicity" and "Consistency, Consistency, Consistency".

In 1999, he handed back his stars due in part to prostate cancer and because of his disillusionment with the London restaurant scene. He retired to the South of France in 2000 and returned to England in 2011.

Early life

Ladenis was born in Tanganyika, now Tanzania on 22 April 1934,[1] [2] to Greek parents.[3] [4]

Career

Ladenis was a self-taught chef, and did not attend any culinary schools. Whilst working at his restaurant Chez Nico in Dulwich, London in 1976 or 1977 he met fellow chef Michel Roux at a party, who arranged for him to work for a week at the three Michelin star Moulin de Mougins under Roger Vergé.[3]

In 1989, he opened a bistro-style restaurant in Pimlico, London, called Simply Nico.[5] In 1992, Ladenis was the first named chef to move his restaurant into a five star hotel, the Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair and his former two Michelin star restaurant on Great Portland Street was converted into the bistro-style Nico Central.[6] [7] In 1995 Chez Nico at 90 Park Lane was awarded three Michelin stars.[8]

In 1999, he asked the Michelin reviewers to exclude him from the guide, and gave up his three Michelin stars in the process. He said in a press statement at the time that "Working in a three-star restaurant is very restrictive and people do not want to eat very expensive food. You cannot fool around in the restaurant if you have three stars and I want to make it more relaxed."[9] He later admitted that this was due in part from being disillusioned with the restaurant scene in London, but also because he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer the month before speaking to the Michelin reviewers.[10] He subsequently opened more restaurants: in 2000, Incognico opened on Shaftesbury Avenue;[11] in 2002, Deca opened on Conduit street.[12] He decided to step back from running restaurants in 2003, and retire fully from the business. His two daughters remained involved in both businesses.[13]

Personal life and legacy

Ladenis was married to Dinah-Jane Ladenis, with whom he had two daughters, Isabella and Natasha.[14]

Chez Nico, under Ladenis, was one of only seven restaurants in the UK (as of the 2013 edition of the guide) to have received the maximum score of ten out of ten by the Good Food Guide.[15] He was the first self-taught chef to earn three Michelin stars.[16]

Nico Ladenis died on 10 September 2023, at the age of 89.[17] [18]

Published works

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Birthday's today. https://web.archive.org/web/20110425160136/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2011-4-22.html . dead . April 25, 2011 . The Telegraph. 21 April 2014. 22 April 2011. Mr Nico Ladenis, restaurateur, 77 .
  2. News: Birthdays. https://archive.today/20130125044704/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4646266.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 22 April 1994.
  3. News: Fox. Sue. How We Met. https://archive.today/20130125112714/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4826722.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 20 October 1996.
  4. News: Kirchenbaum. Grace. Reading Food : Cookbooks: A Fan's Notes. 23 September 2012. The Los Angeles Times. 8 November 1990.
  5. News: Rose. Don. London dining goes far beyond those soggy old brussels sprouts. https://web.archive.org/web/20160911154613/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3942038.html. dead. 11 September 2016. 23 September 2012. Chicago Sun-Times. 7 May 1989.
  6. News: Green. Emily. Reaching for three stars on Park Lane: Nico Ladenis has moved into the grand end of the market. Emily Green visited his old and new addresses. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reaching-for-three-stars-on-park-lane-nico-ladenis-has-moved-into-the-grand-end-of-the-market-emily-green-visited-his-old-and-new-addresses-1540539.html . 2022-06-20 . subscription . live. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 15 August 1992.
  7. News: Hadden. Mark. My Gastronomy, by Nico Ladenis. 23 September 2012. Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 15 June 2006.
  8. News: Green. Emily. Two temperamental but great chefs. https://archive.today/20130125130105/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4694991.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 10 February 1995.
  9. News: Watson-Smyth. Kate. Only one Michelin three-star in Britain. https://archive.today/20130125041441/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5045788.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 18 January 2000.
  10. News: Bozec. Louise. Ladenis to open restaurants after beating cancer. 23 September 2012. Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 13 March 2002.
  11. News: MacLeod. Tracey. This one will run and run. https://archive.today/20130125083010/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5093606.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 1 July 2000.
  12. News: Johnson. Richard. Classic faux pas. https://archive.today/20130125134843/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1707230.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 27 July 2002.
  13. News: Harris. David. Ladenis cuts ties with his London restaurants. 23 September 2012. Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 12 March 2003.
  14. News: Green. Emily. A chef now at home in his kitchen. https://archive.today/20130125103941/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4650834.html. dead. 25 January 2013. 23 September 2012. The Independent. 14 May 1994.
  15. News: Duffin. Claire. Simon Rogan equals Blumenthal's perfect 10 in 2013 restaurant guide. 23 September 2012. The Daily Telegraph. 2 September 2012.
  16. News: Rayner. Jay. Deca, London. 23 September 2012. The Observer. 21 July 2002.
  17. News: Daw . Mike . Nico Ladenis: Legendary chef dies aged 89 . 11 September 2023 . Evening Standard . 11 September 2023.
  18. News: Jaine . Tom . Nico Ladenis obituary . 11 September 2023 . The Guardian . 11 September 2023.

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