Prue Leith Recalls Calling Michelin to Demand a Star for Her Restaurant
Dame Prue Leith recounted at the Hay Festival how she once called the editor of the Michelin Guide to demand why her restaurant, Leith's in Notting Hill, London, had not received a star. The editor visited for lunch with a logbook detailing every observation, including inconsistencies in bread basket variety. After following his advice, Leith's earned a Michelin star the following year, 25 years after opening in 1969. Leith also discussed how Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential exposed misogyny in hospitality, leading her to address bullying and sexual harassment as head of the Restaurant Association of Great Britain in the early 1990s. She shared other influential books, including Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Paul Gallico's Snow Goose.
Key facts
- Dame Prue Leith called the editor of the Michelin Guide to demand why her restaurant hadn't received a star.
- Leith's restaurant, Leith's, opened in Notting Hill, London, in 1969.
- The Michelin editor visited with a logbook detailing every visit, including bread basket variety.
- Leith's earned a Michelin star the following year after following the editor's advice.
- Leith was head of the Restaurant Association of Great Britain (now UK Hospitality) in the early 1990s.
- She was influenced by Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential to address misogyny in hospitality.
- Leith spoke at Hay Festival's My Life in Books series in Hay-on-Wye.
- Other books discussed include Pride and Prejudice and Snow Goose.
Entities
Artists
- Dame Prue Leith
- Anthony Bourdain
- Jane Austen
- Paul Gallico
- John Playfair
Institutions
- Michelin Guide
- Leith's
- Restaurant Association of Great Britain
- UK Hospitality
- Hay Festival
- Savoy Hotel
- Union-Castle Line
Locations
- Hay-on-Wye
- London
- Notting Hill
- South Africa
- Capetown
- Southampton