He was once described as "the world's sexiest chef" by the New York Times, and Jean-Christophe Novelli has spent most of his life devoting himself to the pursuit of culinary perfection.
Maison Novelli, in central London. Then, four years later, his business empire collapsed and he went bankrupt. He's also a regular on. Now 45 and twice divorced, he lives in Hertfordshire with his year-old daughter, Christina, and 14 dogs.
They are the only natural activities where you use all of your five senses together. Both cooking and sex are pure means of expression. They are ultimate performances.
Like sex, it should never be an obligation. If you cook a sensational meal, the pleasure can be as intense as an orgasm. However, I prefer to deal with the situation firmly but fairly. They are given five minutes to collect their belongings and leave. When people show me respect, I pay it back tenfold. When disrespect is shown, it also goes back tenfold. David Bowie once dropped by my London restaurant and said that he would like gazpacho when he came later that week.
So I got in my car and drove there, just to get these ingredients. It took me 24 hours. By the time I returned, he had changed his mind. But it was worth it. If I hadn't become a chef, I'd like to have been a footballer. I was good, but I was never going to be Henry.
