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On 'The Chopping Block' with Chef Marco Pierre White
by Troy Rogers
 With the art of culinary cuisine now one of the most popular forms of entertainment in America, Marco Pierre White, one of the world's most renowned and outspoken British Michelin star chefs, has teamed up with NBC to give fans the new cooking competition The Chopping Block on Wednesday, March 11 at 8pm. With the kitchen becoming the launching pad for some of today's unknown star-chefs-in-the-making, The Chopping Block features culinary competitors and restaurateurs working in eight couples to compete in the new restaurant challenge in which viewers will see the pitfalls and chaos that goes into opening a restaurant with a grand prize of $250,000.
Marco Pierre White also served as the top chef on the UK version of Hell's Kitchen after working for years with some of the most celebrated chefs in Europe, including Gordon Ramsay, who was a student of Marco Pierre's between the years White was Chef Patron at the old Hyde Park Hotel in London and the Oak Room at Le Meridien Piccadilly. Interestingly, Marco Pierre White's autobiography contains a photo that shows Gordon Ramsay in tears, caused by Ramsay making a mistake and White shouting at him.
With The Chopping Block about to cook up the NBC airwaves, we caught up with Marco Pierre White in the kitchen of a recent conference call to find out what it's like to start a restaurant in New York City and at what point it's good chef-etiquette to kick someone out of a restaurant.
THE DEADBOLT: For the teams, what’s the hardest part of getting a restaurant off of the ground in New York City?
 MARCO PIERRE WHITE: Firstly, you have to accept, in my opinion, New York is mostly the gastronomic capital of the world. It feeds people on many levels, at many different price points, within many different environments like no other capital I’ve ever been to. You have very serious individuals cooking and serving in those restaurants. It would be terrifying for me to open a restaurant in New York. You have to be very brave. I think New York must be one of the toughest cities in the world today.
THE DEADBOLT: So it’s not just about the food?
WHITE: No. But the most important aspect of any restaurant is the environment you sit in. Let’s not forget, we’re in the business of selling a night out. In the business of selling, dealing with all aspects, and I just think that the environment is the most important. You walk into a restaurant, you sit down, you feel comfortable, you feel relaxed, you’re being looked after. You start to be yourself. Once you become yourself, you can truly start to appreciate everything.
THE DEADBOLT: When is it a good idea in the career of a chef to start ejecting customers from the restaurant?
 WHITE: Well, I don’t know whether it’s a good idea. I don’t think I would recommend anyone to do it unless they have good reason. I would always take a view on it, because I’ve ejected a few people in my time. And the main reason why I ejected people from my restaurant is, firstly, they were rude to the staff. Secondly, they were rude and boisterous, which started to overspill onto the enjoyment of other tables around them. As a restaurateur, you have a duty to - one, ask them to fall in line or leave the restaurant. You can not allow rude people in your restaurant because they spoil it for others.
Other Conference Call Highlights:
Marco Pierre White on whether food critics are relevant:
"Firstly, let’s not forget, it’s one person’s opinion. Secondly, the reason why I gave back my staff and retired is because I was being judged by people who have less knowledge than me. If you’re really honest with yourself, what’s it all worth? Very little."
Marco Pierre on what he expects from his contestants this season:
 "Well, when you step on that stage, you’re given what you’re given. And all that I would ever expect from a contestant is, firstly, to be there for the right reason, to be respectful, to be hard working. And if they move, or that time for them to go is now, then exit gracefully. If you do all of those things, you’ll walk out of the show with your head high. But that’s their choice, let’s not forget."
Marco Pierre White on what will set The Chopping Block apart from other cooking reality shows:
"I will never be a performing seal. I do not perform for a camera, I am myself. If you do reality TV, then you have a duty to put reality into TV. If you don't do that, then what you're doing is questioning your integrity. You're questioning everything you've ever worked for, and I didn't work for 22 years in a kitchen as hard as I did to be a performing seal. I didn't set out to turn The Chopping Block into a circus. Some people may find it boring, some people may find it interesting, but the one thing we do deliver is reality. That's what reality TV should be all about."
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