1. Jean-Christophe Novelli left school at 14 and worked in a bakery before, at the age of 20, becoming a personal chef to the Rothschild family.
22 Facts About Jean-Christophe Novelli
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Jean-Christophe Novelli moved to Britain in 1983, working in several establishments including the Chewton Glen Hotel in New Milton, Hampshire, later running Keith Floyd's Maltster's Arms restaurant in Totnes, Devon.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli won the first of four Michelin stars as Chef Patron at Gordleton Mill in Lymington, Hampshire and was awarded Best Outstanding Dessert by Egon Ronay before becoming head chef at the Four Seasons Hotel on Hyde Park Corner, London.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli opened further restaurants in London, France and South Africa.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli expanded into the gastro-pub market, his first being The White Horse in Harpenden.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli opened his first of many brasserie concept restaurants in the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Liverpool but withdrew the brand after a mutual decision between the brand and the owner in January 2016.
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On 5 September 2007 Jean-Christophe Novelli was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Bedfordshire.
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In March 2021, Jean-Christophe Novelli was awarded an honorary MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of his many acts of "voluntary and charitable service".
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Jean-Christophe Novelli appeared in the first series of The Games in 2003.
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In 2005 Jean-Christophe Novelli became one of two Head Chefs in the second series of Hell's Kitchen with Gary Rhodes.
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In 2006, Jean-Christophe Novelli appeared on The X Factor: Battle of the Stars, performing in a group with fellow chefs Aldo Zilli, Paul Rankin and Ross Burden.
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In 2012 Jean-Christophe Novelli was a judge on Britain's Best Chef.
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In 2014 Jean-Christophe Novelli appeared on ITV's This Morning, ITV Loose Women.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli later appeared on the Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2 in 2015.
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In late 2015 Jean-Christophe Novelli featured in BBC One's A Question of Sport helping the mystery guest cook in his academy.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli was a member of the celebrity audience in Derren Brown's TV special "The Gathering".
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In February 2021, Jean-Christophe Novelli cooked live on Steph's Packed Lunch on C4 and, with the help of his sons Jean and Jacques, he made pancakes on Jeremy Vine on 5.
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In October 2023, it was announced that Jean-Christophe Novelli would become a judge on the Australian Network 10 competitive cooking show MasterChef Australia in 2024, alongside fellow new judges Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin, as well as returning judge Andy Allen.
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In 2005 Jean-Christophe Novelli opened the Novelli Academy which is based in his 14th-century home in Hertfordshire.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli continues to host public, private and virtual masterclasses and corporate team-bonding events.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli married his second wife, Anzelle Visser, from Stellenbosch in South Africa, in 1999.
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Jean-Christophe Novelli got engaged in November 2007 to his girlfriend of 2 years, Michelle Kennedy.