Butternut Squash Risotto with Toasted Walnuts
“Please please don’t do it” My husband pleaded.
“Why not? I’m a big fan!” I said.
He just closed his eyes, shook his head in surrender and said “you’re shameless.”
We were having dinner at Maze, one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in London and a few meters away from us was Jason Atherton, the restaurant’s executive chef. I had always admired Jason and rooted for him when I watched the BBC’s Great British Menu a while back. I was delighted when he won the honour of cooking the starter of Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato with Croque Monsieur and the main of beef, ox cheek and potato puree for Heston Blumenthal. Jason also has the honour of being the first British chef to complete a stage at Ferran Adria’s El Bulli.
“I’m going to wave and say hi!” I told my husband earlier in the conversation. And hence his response that I was shameless.
I think my husband was afraid that another “Ethan Hawke” episode would occur. You see, many years back we were having dinner in a restaurant and I had spotted Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman dining as well. I decided to go up to them and ask for their autograph only to be told by Ethan that he would not give me an autograph! That’s right. He politely told me “I’m sorry but we are having dinner.” Of course then, I was disappointed but that way years ago and now I know better than to disturb celebrities while they are having dinner…
I don’t think my husband ever recovered from that experience and he always had this notion that if we tried to say “hello” to a celebrity we would get turned away.
“But what about the Bono incident??” I asked.
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