I spent an enjoyable morning and lunch at Mosimann's private dining club in Belgravia today, filming a video Q&A with legendary chef-restaurateur Anton Mosimann for imminent publication on Caterersearch. The club celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
Before his arrival, I assumed the role of chef Mosimann, sitting in the great man's seat in order to get camera angles right. Not that passing guests were fooled - the absence of an immaculate silver moustache on my top lip and colourful bow tie around my neck gave the game away.
Anton outlined his culinary philosophy, embodied in his cuisine naturelle cooking style, and recalled the variable standard of food he encountered when he arrived at the Dorchester Hotel as its youngest ever Maitre Chef de Cuisine, in 1975. One particular bugbear of his was the excessive amount of gelatin used. Once, he said, a waiter dropped a smoked salmon terrine that he was carrying down a staircase. "The waiter fell over, the plate smashed, there was broken crockery everywhere, but the terrine just kept on bouncing up and down on the spot".
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I also have the honour of being Anton Mosimann's double, this time in the case of painting rather than filming. As there was no lunch service on a Saturday at the Club, I got in early to do some prep work when I found Mr. Mosimann coming through the kitchen in his full attire. "Ah Thomas, just the person" he said and off we trotted to the Gucci room where I found a gentleman standing at an easel who spoke no English. After a cursory measurement of my height with his paintbrush, it was agreed that I stand in for a while. Anton removed his jacket, put it on me and instructed me to stand by a chair where for the next three hours I stood transfixed as the painter put the final touches to the jacket in the portrait and Mosimann went off for a meeting. You can see my proud stunt work in the last photo featured in his book "The Essential Mosimann".
Posted by Thomas Kilroy | October 20, 2008 3:26 PM
Posted on October 20, 2008 15:26