If there is madness in genius, Marco Pierre White could be a testament to that theory. The culinary virtuoso was the first Briton to win three Michelin stars at the tender age of 33. Yet, he famously gave them up for “freedom” from the kitchen. Along with his gastronomic accolades are these dubious achievements: he caused protégé-turned-enemy Gordon Ramsay to shed tears. And he flung a pan of hot risotto at (now-disgraced) American chef Mario Batali when the latter was his apprentice. No wonder the thrice-married man has been named ‘London’s rudest chef’.

Once and for all — he did not make Gordon Ramsay cry

In Gordon’s Ramsay autobiography Humble Pie, he portrays Marco as a tyrannical boss. Gordon once shed tears after Marco hurled some sauces at him, but Marco demurs: “He made himself cry — it was his choice. No one has the power to make a person cry. My reputation is a result of exaggeration and ignorance. The kitchen is a tough place. I just do my job.”

Mario's take on the incident: “He picked up the risotto, threw the pan and it hit me right in the chest. Hot risotto, it was magnificent. I didn’t quite know what to say [back then], so I threw two handfuls of salt into each of the basic sauces and walked out [of the kitchen]”.

Now, Marco has come out of retirement to appear on Hell’s Kitchen UK, where he turns 10 C-list celebs into chefs in two weeks. The first man to host the show was Gordon, and while he was loud and foul-mouthed on the show, Marco is quietly menacing. During our phone interview with him — filled with unnerving silences whenever he dislikes a question — the chef is polite but speaks in chillingly low tones.

Another famous disciple, the Aussie born chef-cum-TV personality Curtis Stone (pictured above), once told 8 DAYS that scary old Gordon Ramsay was a “fairy angel” compared to Marco. Marco’s frosty response: “He’s entitled to his own opinion.” On following Ramsay’s route on Hell’s Kitchen, he says frostily: I don’t like how certain people portray my industry. You have to use the same platform to show how a kitchen is run, otherwise you can’t compare it with the way your predecessor did it. Also, [I want to prove] I don’t swear, I don’t belittle people, and I don’t bully.”

He’s a masochist, not a sadist

Marco doesn’t rue this trail of bitter ex-disciples. I am the person I am because of the things I’ve experienced, good or bad. The greatest teacher in life is pain. After pain, you attain knowledge. I’m proud of chefs who worked for me. But I’m not prouder of the famous ones. It’d be boring if every chef was Michelin-starred. I can still inspire people by sharing my dream and feeding others. That’s what my predecessors failed to do. I feed 100, they couldn’t feed 30. Why? (Vehemently) They allow their egos to blind them.”

He doesn’t regret forsaking his Michelin stars

“It’s more important to expose yourself to different experiences in life. By discovering yourself, you accept yourself for what you are. Only then can you have the opportunity to be happy, fall in love, and realise your true potential as a human being. When you work in the kitchen 20 hours daily, your energy’s in your food, not yourself.

Check out Marco's new restaurant in Singapore, The English House, here.

Photo: Curtis Stone's Instagram a/c