Former MasterChef star Matt Tebbutt has revealed he was sacked by Michelin-star chef Marco Pierre White just one month after starting work in his kitchen. The 52-year-old Saturday Kitchen presenter trained at the three Michelin-starred restaurant The Oak Room shortly after finishing culinary school.
A Short-Lived Role in a High-Pressure Kitchen
During an appearance on the Go To Food podcast, hosted by Benjamin Benton and Freddy Clode, the TV presenter reflected on his time in the professional kitchen. His time there came to an abrupt end just one month into his employment.
He said: "I swerved him in service once, which didn't go down well, so he sacked me. I lasted a month; he sacked me on the spot. So I walked away from him back to my little corner, and I thought, 'Oh, he's only joking'. Turns out he wasn't. He turned to me and said, 'You still here? Get out!'".
A Surprise Call and a New Opportunity
The broadcaster thought his time as a chef was over, admitting he walked home and immediately went through job listings for a new position. He went on: "So I went home, and the next day I'm sat in my little basement flat looking through Timeout Guide thinking, 'Maybe it's Pierre Koffman's time!'. I had a phone call, and it was Marco, and he said, 'What are you doing there?' and I went, 'Well, you sacked me'. He said, 'Don't worry about that, come into work'.".
It was at this point that the dad-of-two revealed he had been promoted to work in one of Pierre White's brand-new kitchens in Piccadilly, London, in the mid-1990s. Describing the opportunity as a "lifeline", he said: "So I went into the restaurant, and he took me over to the Criterion, and it was a bit of a lifeline. I can't impress on you enough how good you feel when a big guy like that puts his hand on your shoulder and says, 'Don't worry about that, you'll be fine'. It's quite something when you're in that much awe of somebody. He took me over to the Criterion, he introduced me to the chef, and said, 'This is where you'll be working now'.".
From Kitchen to Broadcasting Career
The broadcaster worked under Pierre White's tutelage for two years, then went on to work with other award-winning chefs, including Alistair Little and Sally Clarke. Years later, he determined that working in professional kitchens was no longer for him and quickly transitioned into broadcasting and presenting.
Tebbutt is now the owner of a Monmouthshire pub called the Foxhunter, which went on to win awards. In 2009, he took over from James Martin on the BBC morning culinary show, a move that made him a household name.
