In conversation with

Lindy Woodheard, the Author Behind Mr. Selfridge

Mr Selfridge -staring Jeremy Piven, of Entourage fame- has just returned for a second season on ITV. Centring on the real-life story of the flamboyant American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, who opened its eponymous London department store in 1909, the successful TV drama is based on the bestselling biography Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge. Chic-Londres met with its author, Lindy Woodhead, who also worked as a consultant on the series, to talk about the larger-than-life character whose life inspired her book and who revolutionised London shopping.

Mr-Selfridge.jpgWhy is Harry Gordon Selfridge considered such a visionary? He was way ahead of his time, bringing to London ideas that are still influential to this day. At a time when department stores were built to be dark, Selfridge flooded his with light, with electricity -unused by most shops at the time- and huge windows. A shrine to modernity, it offered its customers luxuries unseen before, such as access to 56 phones in its restaurant, when only 8% of London homes had a phone. He also opened a travel agency, a bank and a bureau de change, which enabled Selfridge’s to become a tourist attraction. read more

London by

Interview with Nicolas Petrovic, CEO at Eurostar

More than any other business figures, Nicolas Petrovic (43) embodies the new 400,000-strong “Eurostar generation” of French people who have made London their home. After studying in Paris at leading business schools ESCP and Insead, he started his career at the national rail company SNCF, after a two years stint in China. He moved to Eurostar’s London headquarters in 2003 and has been CEO of the newly privatised and unified company since 2010. Nicolas Petrovic, who lives in Hampstead with his family and always travels by scooter in London, shares with Chic-Londres his vision for Eurostar and his experience as both CEO and French Londoner.

Do you feel more like a Londoner or a Parisian? After ten years spent living here, I’ve definitely become more of a Londoner, even though a part of me remains Parisian- if only because I travel to Paris at least once per week through work. But I must admit that I find Paris more difficult now, by contrast with London’s relaxed lifestyle. I find everything about London appealing, especially its people’s well mannered and optimistic attitude, its energy and the fact it’s such a multicultural city. read more

Chef's Addresses

Pierre Koffmann, the Original French London Masterchef

When Pierre Koffmann (63) moved to London in 1970, his original plan was to stay just long enough to be able to watch England play France in Twickenham. 43 years later, he is still here and has made his mark as one of the undisputed big names of the London gastronomy scene. As one of the first and very few UK-based chefs to have won three Michelin stars in 1983 at his restaurant La Tante Claire -an accolade he kept until he retired in 2003- he has trained such talents as Marco-Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens, further proof if needed of his legendary savoir-faire. He stepped out of retirement in 2009 to open a pop up restaurant at Selfridges, which proved so successful that it was extended from six days to two months. In 2010, he went back to work full time as head chef of Koffmann’s, a brasserie-style restaurant at The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. Here, the Gascony-born chef, who lives in Little Venice with his wife Claire, talks to Chic-Londres about food and his favourite addresses in London.

When and why did you decide to become a chef? Both my mother and grand-mother were great cooks, so I learnt from a young age to enjoy good food and to make dishes, such as crepes or cakes. I wasn’t particularly brilliant at school so when I reached the age of 15, my teachers decided that I’d be much better off learning a trade or working than pursuing academic studies for which I was clearly not suited. So I chose to study hospitality, as I wanted to remain at school rather than start working at the railways or at the dockyard- my other options at the time. And I realised I really enjoyed cooking… read more

Chef's Addresses

Jocelyn Herland, Alain Ducasse’s Ambassador in London

After twelve years spent in Alain Ducasse’s various restaurants in France, Jocelyn Herland (39) arrived in London in 2007 to become Executive Chef when Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester first opened. While it must have been daunting to open a new restaurant under the name of the most famous chef in the world –and the only one to have held 19 Michelin stars throughout his career-, he must have made his master proud, by succeeding to receive three Michelin stars in both 2010 and 2011- an achievement only shared with Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Chelsea. Here, the Auvergne-born chef speaks to Chic-Londres about his cuisine and favourite addresses in the British capital.

When did you decide you wanted to become a chef? From the age of ten, I wanted to be either a butcher or a cook, and really enjoyed cooking easy dishes for my family. I started learning the trade when I was 18, when I became old enough to decide what I wanted to do without having to follow my parents’ advice, which was to do more academic studies.

How would you describe the British approach to food? First, I would say that the French influence is quite obvious, if only because the culture of gastronomy was introduced in London by Frenchmen, namely the Roux brothers, who went on to train notable British chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Marco-Pierre White or Marcus Wareing. But what makes London really unique is its capacity to absorb many cultural influences, not only in the variety of nationalities that one can find here, but also in the way that this diversity is reflected on the plate. read more

Home

Paul Smith for Evian: a super stylish Franco-British Limited Edition bottle for 2010

The quintessentially British Paul Smith has partnered with the very French water brand Evian to launch their new Limited Edition bottle for 2010. The result ? Bright, fun… and very chic!

Following previous collaborations with French fashion designers Christian Lacroix and Jean-Paul Gaultier, Evian has now teamed up with the very English Sir Paul (63), a native of Nottingham and resident of Notting Hill, to create their new Limited Edition bottle for the festive season 2010.

Known for his sense of fun and optimistic attitude, Paul Smith has designed a very colorful bottle, adorned with its famous trademark stripes, capturing the purity of the natural mineral water from the Alps in his very own British fashion. A godsend for collectors and a definite must have for elegant London dinner tables! read more