Ainsley Harriott has opened up about the shocking racism he experienced at the beginning of his career before his TV chef fame.
The energetic 64-year-old is one of the UK’s best loved TV chefs and presenters with a career on screen spanning back to the 1980s.
Before finding fame on screen, Ainsley – who was born and raised in London – carved out an impressive career in the restaurant world in the capital.
But he has revealed that he was subjected to atrocious racism in the past, saying he was rejected from jobs purely on the basis of his skin colour and despite having an impressive chef’s CV.
Speaking on Radio 4’s The Food Programme, Ainsley said: “I was a young sous chef at the time at a West End hotel, which was really good, and couldn’t get the gigs.
“There was one particular place, I won’t name it, that said: ‘We really don’t want a black head chef fronting our restaurant.’ Which I kind of respected in a way.
“I thought it was really good that they were able just to tell me straight as opposed to putting a load of nonsense in there or just say, ‘You’re not quite what were looking for’.”
He went on: “I was a bit shocked because when you work in a happy environment, you create a happy environment. But then going out for interviews – you could just tell.
“It got to the stage where in five minutes I knew, ‘I ain’t gonna get this gig’.”
The unnamed restaurant’s loss, however, eventually was the entertainment industry’s gain – as Ainsley went on to host Ready Steady Cook, spin-off show Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and became a household name.
Reflecting on his career, the TV chef explained that he did what he could to live up the on-screen cooking area of the television industry.
He said: “There wasn’t much humour in cooking. You always felt like you were having a school lesson.
“If you make people feel good…it naturally all just stays with you. That’s where the love of food, the love of cooking, comes from.”
Other stand out shows hosted by Ainsley have been Ready… Set… Cook! and Ainsley Eats the Streets.
He was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 – in which he was voted off in week four – and has also been an on-set chef for Lorraine over the years.
The star has also sold over two million books over the course of his career – and in 2020 was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts.
Speaking about the moment he received news he was to receive an MBE, the star said during an interview last year: "You have to keep it secret for a couple of months because they contact your agent first. It’s difficult because you see your friends and you want to share.
"When I first got it I thought it was a parking ticket! It’s got the crest on it. When you see an official stamp you go, “What is this?'”
