Nigel Brown

Biography

Nigel Brown was born in Bridlington, East Yorkshire on 25th June 1966, the youngest son of parents who have spent a lifetime in the Hotel and Catering industry. It is not surprising then, that Nigel, having grown up in this environment, should follow in their footsteps.

From his teenage years Nigel spent much of his time “learning the ropes” at their family restaurant, then known as “The Four Winds”, a sizeable conference and banqueting centre near Driffield, East Yorkshire.

His formal catering training started when at 16 he followed in his brothers’ footsteps and spent 2 years at Hull College, 2 at Scarborough and a year each at Grimsby and Beverley College.

Ken Allison, Former Senior Lecturer at Scarborough Technical College speaks highly of Nigel; Co-incidentally Nigel shares the same wealth of catering expertise gained at Scarborough as James Martin who was also a former student of Ken Allison’s.

During his years working at some of London’s biggest and busiest hotels Nigel enjoyed competing in many national competitions. He won a place in the Trusthouse Forte Chef of the Year competition and entered the London Hotelympia Salon Culinaire competitions on several occasions where he thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and camaraderie amongst his fellow competitors. He became a qualified teacher at the age of 21.

In his more advanced training, Nigel spent time at the highly acclaimed French cookery school Ecole Le Notre where he picked up a wealth of experience and knowledge in areas of specialist patisserie work.

In 2007 Nigel and wife Lisa launched Superchef Secrets Ltd and produced their first set of 3 cookery school DVD’s. Due to an unprecedented sell out of DVD’s within the first 3 months and an ever increasing demand for real hands on cookery courses Nigel opened his first Cookery Academy in Lincolnshire.

When Nigel’s not demonstrating his skills on stage at many of the UK’s biggest food festivals, delivering private cookery courses at his Cookery Academy, filming, radio or writing, he caters for High profile private functions and VIP hospitality he also works closely with Jean-Christophe Novelli at The Novelli Academy offering corporate entertainment and teaching specialist patisserie/cookery courses.

Nigel particularly enjoys long haul holidays with adventure and “poolside research” (an important and integral part of his holiday itinerary), he says it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it!

Other favourite pastimes include, game shooting, clay pigeon shooting, a hike across the North Yorkshire Moors and cars – anything from big beastie 4wd’s to a rusty restoration project and there’s nothing he likes more than to drive, hood down, around the lanes of the Lincolnshire Wolds in his 1971 Austin Sprite.

Nigel says ‘she’s classic Teal Blue with sexy curves and absolutely drop dead gorgeous’, but don’t let his wife hear that!