John Burton Race

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John Burton Race (born 9 December, 1957) is a Michelin star chef, made famous by the Channel 4 series "French Leave" and its sequel "Return of the Chef".

Biography

Burton Race was born in Singapore, spending his early years travelling, allowing him to experience food from all round the world. Between 1983 and 2002, he held positions at various acclaimed restaurants in the South of England, including: Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxford; the L'Ortolan restaurant in Berkshire; and in 2000, he took over The Landmark London hotel, winning two Michelin stars. [http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=141507&command=displayContent&sourceNode=232739&home=yes&more_nodeId1=201778&contentPK=18608707 TV Chef in £3.6Million divorce] ThisisDevon.co.uk - 8 October 2007] In 1995 Burton Race joined an elite group of chefs as the winner of a coveted Catey Award - the Oscar of the UK hospitality industry.

"French Leave" saw Burton Race move to France in 2002/2003, "to relearn and discover ingredients and his love of cooking after many years in the fast lane." [ [http://www.johnburtonrace.com/page.htm johnburtonrace.com ] ] He returned to the UK to purchase and run a restaurant and hotel called "The New Angel" in Dartmouth, a seaside town in Devon. It was awarded a Michelin star in 2005.

In 2006, Burton Race lost to Michael Caines when the pair were challenged to represented the South West of England in the BBC television series Great British Menu. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/menu_index.shtml BBC - Food - TV and radio - Great British Menu ] ]

In 2007, John became a mentor on BBC cooking show Kitchen Criminals and a judge of ITV cooking show "Britain's Best Dish."

I'm a Celebrity

In November 2007 he appeared in ITV's "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" During the series, he had a number of severe falling outs with fellow contestant Lynne Franks, as the two of them had such opposite and extreme personalities. He was also the camp's main cook and disliked fellow contestant Janice Dickinson's refusal to eat certain types of meat, such as kangaroo, crocodile and possum. John was voted out of "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" by the public on 24 November, the fourth person to leave the 2007 series. During his final chat with presenters Ant & Dec, he explained that as a chef, he had a very open mind with trying new types of food, and that was why he disliked Janice Dickinson's refusal to eat the food he had prepared.

Personal life

He is divorced from his first wife, a French woman. He met his second wife, Kim, at a friend's wedding in the Caribbean whilst they were both still married. The couple have two children together, while Kim has four daughters from her previous relationship. They lived in the family home, a £1.5 million Georgian rectory in the village of Ashprington, near Totnes.

In March 2007 Burton Race left Kim following an extended affair with artist Susan Ward, his agent's former personal assistant, with whom he has a 2 year old son. [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=443244&in_page_id=1773 Cheating chef walks out on his family for mistress and secret child] Daily Mail - 20th March, 2007] Burton Race is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle from Kim, whereby he has been ordered by a judge to liquidate his assets, including selling the family home, all of his 42 vintage cars and "The New Angel" before a final divorce settlement is agreed. Kim closed "The New Angel" on the 27th November 2007 whilst Burton Race was in the Australian Outback on ITV programme 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. Kim also left a notice on the door that said “It is with deep regret that as of Tuesday 27th November 2007 the New Angel restaurant and rooms will cease trading. Please direct all inquiries to John Burton Race.” also included on the note was Burton Race's mobile phone number. [ [http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144125&command=displayContent&sourceNode=232510&home=yes&more_nodeId1=232470&contentPK=19083205 TV Chef's Restaurant Closes] Western Morning News - 27 November, 2007 ] [ [http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/11/28/317563/john-burton-race-on-tv-when-wife-closed-restaurant.html John Burton Race on TV when wife closed restaurant] caterersearch.com - 28 November, 2007]

New Angel re opened a year later after being bought by a friend and with John Burton Race back in charge. [ [http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2008/02/21/319067/john-burton-race-to-reopen-his-michelin-starred-restaurant-in-devon.html New Agel to re-open] caterersearch.com - 21 Feb, 2008]

References

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