Leading Chefs Unite for Leukaemia Research
On Monday 14th September, the toast of the UK’s culinary scene descended on The Dorchester’s kitchens for one night only of edible showstoppers, as ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ returned for its 27th year.
Co-founded by restaurant luminaries Chris Corbin OBE and Peter Gordon ONZM in 1999, ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ is a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience, where every dish served raises money for life-saving leukaemia research.
This year ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ raised an incredible £320,000, bringing the total since its inception to over £8.5 million. All the money raised from the event goes directly to Leukaemia UK to help save and improve the lives of those diagnosed with leukaemia.
Hosted by Simon Rimmer, chef and co-presenter of Sunday Brunch, and Chris Bavin, TV presenter and fresh produce consultant, guests were led through the evening’s courses with entertaining commentary.
In this evening of fine dining with a twist, guests didn’t know who would be cooking their dinner until the iconic ‘chef draw’ on the night. With an impressive 17 Michelin Stars between them, chefs taking part included Mark Birchall (Moor Hall), Jean-Philippe Blondet (Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester), Deepak Mallya (The Ritz), Matt Abé (Bonheur), John Chantarasak (AngloThai), Roberta Hall-McCarron (The Little Chartroom), Sameer Taneja (Benares) and Ben Tonks (The Seahorse), to name just a few.
Each chef donated their ingredients, materials and time, allowing funds raised to go directly towards lifesaving leukaemia research.
Sameer Taneja, Executive Chef at Benares, said: “There is something special about being part of an event that brings people together to enjoy delicious food in support of an incredible cause. We’re all there to cook great food and raise as much as possible for Leukaemia UK. I loved every second in the ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ kitchen.”
Guests were treated to a feast of culinary showstoppers, with dishes including gold-dusted Chilean seabass from Sexy Fish, an ornate centrepiece pie from The Little Chartroom, fish-shaped dum fish biryani from Benares, Pithivier of Pigeon from The Ritz, and a magical ‘The Garden’ dessert from CUT at 45 Park Lane in collaboration with Juliet Sear.
Simon Rimmer said: “It was an honour to host ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’. The idea that guests don’t know who is cooking their dinner until the night itself is a brilliant concept, made even better knowing that every mouthful raises money for a brilliant cause. It really is a special evening.”
Chris Bavin said: “It was a pleasure to host this year’s Who’s Cooking Dinner?’. It’s such a unique event with incredible food by lots of talented chefs. Seeing so many people come together, to raise lots of money and make a real impact for people diagnosed with leukaemia, was wonderful.”
Fiona Hazell, Chief Executive at Leukaemia UK said: “We are so grateful to everyone who supported ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ this year. Every day, 28 people in the UK receive the devastating news that they have leukaemia and just half will survive for longer than five years. At Leukaemia UK we believe that through the power of research, we can change this. The money raised at ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ allows us to continue funding groundbreaking research into kinder, more effective treatments to stop leukaemia devastating lives.”