|
Published June 2005 in Fresh
The talented Tanner brothers
You can quite understand why Chris and James Tanner were blown away when they first discovered Prysten House - the stunning fifteenth century building in the heart of Plymouth - which is now Tanners Restaurant.
Its cool, serene rooms, one of which boasts an original well, slate floors and medieval courtyard are the perfect backdrop to the celebrity chefs’ mission to provide a diverse but inexpensive menu freshly sourced from the very best local produce.
The Brothers, 34-year-old Chris and James, 29, are becoming familiar faces on our TV screens having just enjoyed a successful series on UKTV, and James appears to be attracting legions of female fans with his boyish good looks while haring around on Ready, Steady, Cook.
Both have been in the food business from a very early age. As teenagers, Chris and James helped out in local restaurants and tea rooms in their native Kent, studied at college, and got their big break working for the Roux Brothers several years later. The experience took them to London, New York and France, honing their skills and cultivating their passion for food.
Then in 1999 the pair came to Plymouth on a day-off, pulled up outside Prysten House and were hit by the wow factor.
Said Chris: “We fell in love with the building as soon as we saw it. We were extremely young at the time and had no money and literally begged, borrowed and stole to get the venture off the ground.
“I was 29 at the time and James was coming up to 24. But it was such a unique venue and we’d done it for so many other people prior to that, we just wanted to do something for ourselves. We thought ‘if it works out fantastic, if it doesn’t we could still take well-paid jobs abroad and pay off the huge loan we borrowed!’”
Chris dismisses claims that his parents helped to bankroll the brothers’ venture. “People think we must have had rich parents - far from it. Yes we had a comfortable upbringing, but we were a working-class family from the apple orchards in the back end of Kent. Everything we have achieved, we have done off our own back.”
With the brothers’ and particularly James’s TV commitments, you’d be forgiven for thinking there is no time to serve up what they describe as ‘modern British fare with a continental twist’ in the restaurant. But Chris is happy to contradict this popular myth.
“We are here 99 per cent of the time working in the kitchen,” he explains. “If James is up in London I'll drop him off on the train in the morning and pick him up off the last train at night. People forget that we’ve only got one restaurant and there’s two of us.”
James agrees: “I've been doing more TV recently but it only amounts to one or two days a month. We work six days a week and perhaps on my day off, on a Sunday, I do my TV job. If I’m doing that on my day off and it’s helping me and our business, then great.”
Working in TV does not stifle his creativity but enhances it, James insists. And there’s a real buzz in inspiring people to strive for high culinary standards.
He said: “With Ready Steady Cook you never really know what’s in the bag. It’s similar to our other TV work - people ask us what we would like to do and what we can come up with ourselves, which is good. It makes you think a bit more about how you can inspire people to recreate what you’ve cooked. If that’s the end result then brilliant, I’ve done my job.”
The brothers have the talent and the charm to enjoy a long and successful TV career - and they can now afford to be more choosy.
Chris said: “TV’s a roller-coaster ride. It’s exciting but you never know what’s coming next. We’re always being approached because of our reputation and the six years we’ve had in business. People are realising we’re not just a flash in the pan. But we’re very selective about what we take on. It’s got to be right for us and beneficial to us.”
The brothers are as passionate about Plymouth as they are about food and are happy to shun the big money in London for a more relaxed, stress-free lifestyle in Devon.
Said James: “I’m settled in the area and I know Chris is too with his wife and two little girls. Why would we want to go back to London when we’re on the coast, by Dartmoor and in a great city with a great vibe? Besides it’s only three hours to get to London now. You sit on the train, read a paper, have a cup of coffee and you’re almost there.”
Chris added: “As James said it’s a great lifestyle here. We work hard and play hard too. We like waterskiing and wake boarding. We’ve got our own little boat too which we take out on the Hoe. After a big thrash around there on a Sunday afternoon you drop anchor, sit back, crack open a beer, and think: ‘why would I want to change all this?’”
|
|
|
|
|
|
