> Go to an overview of Dave Mooney
Latest News TV Celebrity to Headline Food Lovers Festival this Weekend
Dave Mooney has been very busy since leaving the Belle Epoque and Duke of Portland last year. He has also lost 12 Stone in weight in 12 months. The new, slimline celebrity chef will be doing what he does best, creating mouthwatering recipes and entertaining an audience this weekend at the Northwest Foodlovers Festival.
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About Dave Mooney
Dave Mooney was born 46 years ago in North Yorkshire to be taught from an early age the importance of food. He crossed the Pennines to Cheshire in his teens to combine study, with work in top restaurants in Normandy, France. Here, the seeds of his organic growth into the restaurant business were sown as Dave was sourcing everything from local, French markets and preparing and cooking alongside the chef patron. His skills even extended to growing and preparing organic fruits and vegetables.
Returning to the UK aged 19, Dave blossomed under the “demanding & expert eye” of Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Au Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, then the ”erratic, but brilliant” Marco Pierre White at Harveys Restaurant in Wandsworth, London. Here, Dave learnt about teamwork, taste and temperaments. As part of Raymond Blanc’s team of 24 he progressed from Commis Chef to Demi Chef de Partie and was in an 8 strong team with Marco Pierre White as Commis Chef “learning more about taste & food”. Dave adds; “All areas of the kitchen were covered during each day. Marco had a very unusual idea of kitchen organisation, but it worked.”
Dave came ‘home’ to the family business in Knutsford, Cheshire in 1988. The Belle Époque Brasserie there was trading poorly, with the banqueting & hotel both needing investment & improvement. Over the next 21 years using a solid, profitable kitchen, the business was built up to its current standards holding Michelin awards and Good Food and Good Hotel guide entries for over 20 years. Starting as Chef, Dave was eventually, owner & Chef Patron until leaving in 2009. Two other Cheshire gastro pubs (the Duke of Portland and the George & Dragon) were also acquired during this time which went on to trade profitably, winning many awards and accolades too.
Not content to have any spare time, Dave is also a media star. This builds on his enthusiasm for good food, his entertaining, approachable style and his desire for everyone to enjoy and share his passion in life. Imagine Chris Moyles cooking like Gordon Ramsay. Dave claims he can even teach Victoria Beckham and Katie Price to cook. Dave can cook AND amuse!
As the original ‘hairy biker’ Dave travelled on his motorbike searching for the best produce in the North West, then cooking in various locations. This 10 part series for North West regional TV ‘Food Hunter’ ran for two years. Dave was particularly pleased to be so involved with the BBC2 series ‘Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain’ and appear in the Sept’09 programme representing Cheshire.
Dave clocked up over 200 appearances as the ‘Granada Tonight’ resident Chef over two years with a live slot twice a week & many pre recorded inserts and live outside broadcasts. He has also worked on live magazine formats for Granada Satellite and UKTV Food and the Shopping Channel, demonstrating & selling various cookware lines.
From BBC Manchester he has completed live & pre-recorded segments for the Morning magazine programme, to include viewer advice on budgeting & food preparation. Radio work is too numerous to mention, cumulating in guest spots on food for on BBC Radio Five Live.
The challenge of live cooking demonstrations is never far away from demos at schools and colleges to the BBC Good Food Show Birmingham, Bristol Slow Food Festival, Cheshire County Show, Chester Food & Drink, Food Lovers Fair Tatton, Manchester Food & Drink Festival, Nantwich Food Show and the Real Food from Lancashire Show amongst others.
He is currently working on a book to be launched in the Summer, merging old and new styles of cooking. This, in addition to the flambé of his media career!
