A new documentary about Gary Rhodes will include never-before-seen footage from the series he was filming before his death at the age of 59 in Dubai.
Gary Rhodes: The First Rockstar Chef will explore the star’s culinary career and his passion for celebrating British food.
Celebrities including Gordon Ramsay, Sir Alex Ferguson, Cheryl Baker and Ainsley Harriott, will share their tributes to the award-winning chef.
Ramsay says: “Behind all that facade, behind all that character, was a real genius of a chef.”
“He opened the door for so many of us to prove that you can be talented in your restaurant and on TV and that’s the difference.
“In the 90s, 95% of TV chefs didn’t have restaurants, they barely had delis and sandwich bars, but this guy managed to have both. He was the real deal, he really knew his onions.”
Football manager Sir Alex recalls the time he took the Manchester United players to Mayfair’s Greenhouse restaurant, where Rhodes was head chef at the time.
He said: “He was a great chef, we spoke for years and years after that.”
Rhodes’s two sons, Sam and George, will also share their memories of their father cooking for his family, remembering the painstaking process of the preparation of his puddings after Sunday roasts.
The one-off programme also includes archive footage from across the years, showing Rhodes preparing his famous bread and butter pudding.
The TV chef died from bleeding between the skull and the brain in November, according to a statement from his family.
He collapsed at home in Dubai and was rushed to hospital.
Gary Rhodes: The First Rockstar Chef is on February 15 at 11.40am on ITV.
With reporting by Press Association.
