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bank manager. I didn’t tell Val about my plan as I wasn’t sure if it would all work out. At that time, a good friend, restaurateur Conrad Gallagher, came over from Ireland for a visit. I told him about the situation and he said, “I have opened four restaurants this year which I couldn’t afford, but just do it!” When it came to getting a mortgage it was different times back then and I had some telephone calls with the bank manager and after a few questions he agreed to help. We got married in May 1998 and on return from our honeymoon in June 1998 we moved into our new apartment in Bloomsbury, an 18-minute walk to the restaurant. We are in a block of eight apartments, all with the same footprint over each floor – our neighbours above us were in the music business. It was quite normal to have celebrities walking in and out, but they could be very noisy, especially late at night. I spoke with our neighbour asking to have first refusal if they ever sold. So, in 2004 we bought the place upstairs and then decided to knock both apartments into one! If we sold and moved to a bigger place we would have a major Stamp Duty implication. It was a huge building job and we had to move out for the summer while it was being done. Luckily,Val and my two daughters always spent the summer at our mobile home in Ireland, so they were away. It was a very difficult time, the build was to be finished by the first week of September but they eventually handed over on Christmas Eve, but we now have a four bedroom home with a roof terrace, which we love, but actually we are now thinking we should embark on another project! When Covid ended, we visited Margate and have had a love affair with the town since, having bought an apartment with a beautiful sea view. Sadly, we had to let the mobile home in Ireland go. FTB : Tell us about your career? DM: I always wanted to be a chef and I got a job when I was 17 in a hotel in Blackpool cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. It made me realise that it just wasn’t for me, so I decided to go to college and study Hotel Catering. During my work experience I got a job for 26 weeks at The Box Tree and I really caught the bug and loved it! I then saw an ad in The Caterer magazine for an Assistant Head Waiter at Le Manoir and decided to apply for it. I was still living in Blackpool and a friend came with me to the interview and shared the petrol costs. I decided that we should have lunch there first, which was pretty expensive at £17.50, especially when I was only earning £25 a week. Looking back I was so cheeky as I called the head waiter over and said I would like to invite the person who was interviewing me to join me at my table. I
“WHEN I SAW IT I LOVED IT, AS IT HAD BEAUTIFUL LARGE WINDOWS, A CONSERVATORY ON THE ROOF TERRACE AND TWO GOOD-SIZED BEDROOMS”
did get a job there but not the one which I applied for as I wasn’t qualified enough, but as a Chef de Rang (station waiter) and the promise I would get promoted in a year. I had no idea what the salary was until I opened my pay packet and found there was enough for me to live on, which was a relief. FTB : Tell us about your restaurant Pied à Terre? DM: I left Le Manoir in November 1991 and opened my restaurant in December 1991. It was a plan I had been working on for three years. I had to find investors and had lots of contacts so I wrote letters to them every three months to see if they were still interested in investing. Raymond Blanc was very helpful and joined the Board of Directors, and also brought in some investors too. One of them was a lawyer who was slightly older and he contacted me to say he had found an Indian restaurant in Charlotte Street that might make the perfect premises. I went along and saw masses of potential and a great location. Still there 34 years later, we are London’s longest- running Michelin-starred restaurant, which is quite something. FTB : You are also involved in many other different projects, tell us about them? DM: I am a trustee of Cockpit Studios, which is an award-winning social enterprise that supports 160 independent craft makers
and businesses. I am an ambassador/ speaker for “Speakers for Schools”, visiting schools to talk about hospitality and to paint a picture of the possibilities in our industry. I’m collaborating with New Horizon Youth Centre, a charity that supports young people who are homeless or unsafe in London, supporting and offering work experience opportunities were we can. This last winter saw me helping my daughter cook at a women’s refuge, while she was studying for A-levels at St Cuthbert’s in Earls Court. We served up dinner to 40 or 50 homeless women every Monday evening for the coldest five months. My daughter is passionate about this and we enjoy our time together there. FTB : What are your plans for the future? DM: We have a new Head Chef, Phil Kearsey, who is amazing, and our aim is to get our second Michelin star back. FTB : What advice do you have for first time buyers? DM: Just do it! There is nothing like a sense of home and getting your name on the title deeds. If it is within your grasp, go for it as you will never regret it.
pied-a-terre.co.uk @david_pied
@piedaterrerestaurant speakersforschools.org
First Time Buyer August/September 2024 13
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