Born in Kingston, Theo Randall grew up in an artistic household. His father was an architect and his mother an artist, and his own early interest in cooking vied with other creative pursuits of metalwork, sculpture and photography. From an early age he was taught to appreciate food through his mother’s culinary enthusiasm – he describes her as a fantastic cook who taught him to prepare pasta and sent him to school with homemade bread and fruit from their garden for lunch.

His family holidays consisted of trips to Italy and France, where he was in awe of the chefs and would enjoy watching the dramatic pizza-making process. He recalls eating spaghetti alle vongole in Venice as an early food memory, and has created his own version of the dish with linguine and the inclusion of courgette.

At age 14 he began his first job as a kitchen porter in a local restaurant, and later worked on the vegetable section. Eager to progress and broaden his knowledge, he accepted a job as a kitchen apprentice at Chez Max in Surbiton after meeting chef proprietor Max Magarian on his 18^th birthday. Cooking French food with a ‘huge emphasis on produce and doing everything from scratch’,he cited Magarian as a mentor who taught him the importance of frugality. To this day he places value on the individual flavour of well-sourced, quality ingredients over complex techniques.

In 1989 he began working at The River Café, turning his skills to seasonal Italian cooking for 17 years. During this period he spent a year in California, working under Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. He was promoted to head chef and partner of The River Café after returning from California and oversaw the restaurant as it grew into a renowned eatery, receiving a Michelin Star in 1997.

Ever ambitious, Theo Randall was keen to put his name to an independent venture. In 2006 he opened Theo Randall at the InterContinental Hotel. Based in Park Lane, Randall is insistent about his food staying true to the traditional fare he enjoys in Italy. Inspiration for the menu is taken from Randall’s frequent trips to this country; to the relaxed and friendly trattorias, where an appreciation of ingredients can transform a simple pasta course into something worth recreating at home. Authentic pasta dishes such as Ravioli with butternut squash, marjoram, sage and butter are made fresh every day. He uses Italian tipo 00 flour and eggs sourced from Genoa, where the chickens are fed a diet of carrot and corn resulting in a stronger coloured yolk and a pasta of rich yellow.