Gary's interest in cooking began at the age of 14, when his mother went back to work and he became responsible for cooking his own meals. Realising cookery was his passion, Gary went on to train at a catering college in Broadstairs, Kent, and later won the Student of the Year award.

After leaving college Gary secured a position at the Amsterdam Hilton. Not long after, he was badly hit by a tram and had to undergo brain surgery. This life changing event propelled him to propose to his girlfriend from catering college, and made him determined to succeed in his chosen vocation.

Gary came back to England and worked for various restaurants in London's West End, before moving to the Castle Hotel in Somerset, where at just 26, he was awarded his first Michelin star. In 1990 he joined the Greenhouse in Mayfair, London and achieved his second Michelin star.

At the Greenhouse, Gary developed his reputation for serving British classics, such as faggots, oxtail, and bread and butter pudding. His love of British cuisine was taken a step further in his first TV series, Rhodes Around Britain in 1994; another Michelin star followed two years later.

On 17 June 2006 Gary was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's birthday honours, which he said was even better than getting a Michelin star!

Based primarily at Rhodes 24 in London's tallest building, Tower 42, Gary also owns Arcadian Rhodes on the P&O superliner, Cumberland Rhodes, and Rhodes Calabash, in Grenada. He is also a contributor to BBC Good Food Magazine.

Gary has gone on to present many more successful television programmes, including a children's cookery series based on Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes. He has also hosted MasterChef and appears on ITV's Hell's Kitchen, the Great British Menu, and Saturday Cooks. Gary's latest partnership with UKTV Food include leading the search for the nation's ultimate Local Food Hero and his trip to learn about Indian cooking in Rhodes Across India and Chinese cooking in Rhodes Across China.

Gary lives in Kent with his wife Jennie and their two sons, Samuel and George.

Read our exclusive interview with the man himself.

Gary Rhodes photo gallery

Books
GREAT OFFERS ON GARY'S BOOKS

The Complete Rhodes Around Britain, BBC Books, 2001
New British Classics, BBC Books, 2001
Gary Rhodes' Cookery Year: Autumn into Winter, BBC Books, 2002
Food With Friends, Ebury Press, 2002
The Complete Cookery Year, BBC Books, 2003
Gary Rhodes' Cookery Year: Spring into Summer, BBC Books, 2005
Keeping it Simple, Michael Joseph Ltd, 2005

Restaurants
Rhodes 24
Arcadian Rhodes
Rhodes Restaurant at Calabash, Grenada