Marcus Gleadow-Ware

Expert Interview: Marcus Gleadow-Ware

Behind the Chef

What were your favorite foods growing up?
My favorite meals when I was a boy were Sunday roasts at my grandparents' house in Tilford; I also loved fish and chips.

What is your least favorite food?
Licorice

What is your beverage of choice?
Gin and tonic

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Alain Ducasse's in Monte Carlo, Louis XV. It is an amazing dining room, with perfect food and outstanding food.

What do you eat when you are home?
I love charcuterie. There is this great deli that I always go to on Broadway and 44th Street in Astoria. They make some great salamis and charcuterie.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Whatever you are doing, keep it simple and it will taste great and won't be too much work.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
At the age of 16

If you didn’t become a chef, what would you be?
A craftsman of some sort, as I love making things and being creative and I hate office work.

What is more important for a chef- technique or ingredients?
Technique is the most important, because without this, you have nothing.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
I think starting at the age of 16 at The Savoy Hotel in London under Anton Edelman really shaped me as a cook and taught me about hard work and long hours; I think Andrew Thompson has taught me the most as a chef.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Classical French

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My Japanese knives

What are the signature dishes at Aureole?
Market sashimi, fresh and pickled celery salad, spicy capicola and black lava salt.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant…you are eating at?
My favorite restaurants in New York are Casa Mono and Crispo.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Hot and cold encapsulations

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
I once had to cook a 5-course dinner at this old Chateau in France. I had to cook for 25 people by myself on an aga, which is a type of stove that is very challenging to use because your timing has to be perfect; it really makes you think about everything you have to do.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
My worst kitchen disaster was when I was confiting some duck in the oven, and it spilled over and caught fire; it nearly set the whole kitchen on fire.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Honesty in the kitchen is essential; I detest liars.

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Expert Profile

Marcus Gleadow-Ware was born in London, grew up in Islington, North London and started cooking at the age of 16 in 1996, at The Savoy Hotel in London under the tuition of Anton Edelman. After 2 years, he left the Savoy for Brasserie St Quentin’s. Six months later, he moved to Michelin starred restaurant at Cliveden House in Berkshire. There he spent a further six months after which he moved back to London to work for Herbert Berger, as he opened 1 Lombard Street in the city of London, which gained a Michelin star in its first year. In the following years he moved again to Marco Pierre-White’s L’escargot under the leadership of renowned chef Andrew Thompson. Then, he followed his desire to learn another language and style of cooking. He moved to Florence in Italy at Beccofino, under Chef Francesco Bradinelli. After mastering the art of making pastas and salamis, he then moved back to London to Oro’s with Martin Wilson. He rejoined Andrew Thompson to open The Clerkenwell in February 2002, where he spent the next two years before opening their second restaurant, The Chancery, in 2004. In the spring of 2006 he moved to The Square, and in March 2007, he joined Aureole in New York.