Phil Howard (chef)

Philip Howard was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1966. His father was an accountant and a businessman; his mother was a housewife. At the age of seven, he and his family moved to England. ==Early cooking career==

Howard discovered his passion for cooking during university and then began a cooking career in 1988 after graduating, rather than pursuing a career in microbiology. He worked one summer for a Dordogne chateau. One night, Howard had dinner at Harveys and was impressed by the food made by its chef Marco Pierre White. Then Howard became a chef de partie of Harveys in 1989, where Howard learned to appreciate modernised French cooking. After working at Harveys for nine months, Howard was sacked by White for boiling White's "then-famous creamed potato" (pomme purée). Shortly afterwards, he worked at Bibendum as chef de partie under Simon Hopkinson, from where Howard was inspired by the emphasis on the quality and flavour of the cooking and its simplicity. While working at Bibendum, Howard and White had stayed in touch with each other. White frequently invited Howard to Harveys to test out White's new dishes. ==The Square (1991–2016)==

In 1990, Howard was rehired by Marco Pierre White to work at Harveys, he would then be trained as a future head chef for White and White's then-business partner Nigel Platts-Martin's upcoming restaurant. The Square moved to Mayfair in February 1997 and then earned its second Michelin star in January 1998. Howard and Platts-Martin sold The Square in March 2016 to Marlon Abela's eponymous restaurant group, Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation (MARC), for . In late January 2020, after years of MARC's financial issues and mismanagement, property administrators abruptly closed The Square during lunch service. Howard wrote two volumes of The Square: The Cookbook: first volume Savoury released in 2012; second Sweet in 2013. ==Other restaurants and services==

Howard opened Michelin-starred restaurant The Ledbury as its co-owner alongside The Square co-owner Nigel Platts-Martin in July 2005. The Square's former sous chef Brett Graham was appointed head chef and later became chef patron of The Ledbury. Despite ownership, Howard never operated The Ledbury as much as Platts-Martin did. The Ledbury had been indefinitely closed since June 2020, citing social distancing measures amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as impractical for the restaurant. The Ledbury reopened in January 2022. Howard also co-owns other restaurants that are less formal and "more casual" than the (now closed) Square. Kitchen W8 earned its first Michelin star in 2011 and has retained it every year since. Howard and Mascarenhas have also co-owned Sonny's Kitchen since 2012, later reopened as Church Road in 2019. Sonny's Kitchen was originally Sonny's from 1986 to 2012 under Mascarenhas's sole ownership. On 27 September 2016, Howard and Mascarenhas opened a new London restaurant Elystan Street, the former site of chef Tom Aikens's eponymous restaurant (out of Aikens's restaurants), located at 43 Elystan Street, Chelsea. In contrast to The Square, Elystan Street is less formal and more casual. The menu is at least 25% vegetarian Howard and Mascarenhas also co-owned a London wine-focused restaurant Gezellig from May 2019, when it opened to 31 January 2020, when it closed. The head chef of Gezellig was Graham Long. Howard also owned and operated another restaurant Union, located at the ski resort Montalbert of La Plagne (France). He also owns a chalet there for family vacations and ski trips, having purchased it for in 2006 and spending an additional for home transformation. Union opened on 16 December 2017. Martin Cuchet is Howard's business partner for Union. The Union restaurant permanently closed in April 2024. Howard launched a London-based pasta delivery service Otto on 10 May 2021. The name was changed in 2022 to Notto after a legal dispute with another business also called Otto. He opened a pasta restaurant also called Notto at the Piccadilly road in November 2022 with co-partner Julian Dyer. ==Judging career==

Howard served as the chairman of the chef judging panel for the 21st annual Young Chef Young Waiter competition (2005). He was also one of judges for the Chef Award of the 2010 Catey Awards, which went to Mark Hix; and for the Restaurateur of the Year (Independent) of the 2016 Catey Awards. ==Television==

Despite mostly avoiding television appearances, Howard made guest appearances in MasterChef: The Professionals (first in October 2009), Market Kitchen (Good Food), In the seventh series of Great British Menu, alongside three other winning chefs (Colin McGurran, Daniel Clifford, and Simon Rogan), he served his winning dish (Cornish mackerel with oysters, mussels, winkles and samphire) as the fish course of the 2012 Olympians' banquet at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, weeks before the 2012 Summer Olympics. He has also occasionally appeared thereafter in the series as a first round chef judge for various regional heats. ==Accolades==

Howard won the Chef Award at the 1998 Catey Awards, the Restaurant Chef at the 2005 Craft Guild of Chefs Awards, the Chefs' Chef at the 2008–09 AA Hospitality Awards, the Restaurateur of the Year (Independent) at the 2011 Catey Awards, the Chefs' Chef of the Year at the 2016 National Restaurant Awards, the Best Chef at the 2017 GQ Food & Drink Awards, and the Mentor Chef Award of the 2022 Michelin Great Britain and Ireland special awards. Howard also earned the Special Award at the 2011 Craft Guild of Chefs Awards and the special Chef's Chef Award at the 2012 National Restaurant Awards. Out of the top 100 most influential people in the UK hospitality industry, The Caterer ranked Howard 78th in 2005, 37th in 2012, and 81st in 2018. On 20 July 2018 at Canterbury Cathedral, the University of Kent gave its alumni, Howard an honorary Doctor of Arts degree for his "inspirational life and outstanding contribution to hospitality and food". ==Personal life==

Howard was admitted twice to drug rehabilitation in 1995 after a three-year addiction to primarily crack cocaine, which he used to compensate his excessive workload at The Square. Since then, he has remained clean and refrained from drugs and alcohol. He also attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings, exercised, and participated in numerous marathons and triathlons. Nine months after Phil's recovery, his brother Greg died of drug overdose in 1996. Howard has been married to Jennie from the early 1990s to 1997 and since their remarriage in 1999. They have two children. ==Bibliography==