Russell Norman (restaurateur)
Russell Norman (9 December 1965 – 23 November 2023) was an English restaurateur, chef, teacher and author. He gained a reputation and unique identity as "the coolest man in food" in the early 2010s. He was the co-founder of Polpo which later became a renowned Venetian-style tapas restaurant in London.[1] He also founded the Italian restaurant Brutto.[2]
Biography[edit]
Russell Norman was born on 9 December 1965 in Ealing, West London. He had five brothers in his family. His father Ernest Newman was a toolmaker. He grew up in the suburbs of Twickenham and attended the The Heathland School in Hounslow, West London. He also studied English at the University of Sunderland.[3]
He became fond of William Shakespeare's works, and his interest in Shakespeare literally superseded his interest in sports, which eventually bemused his family members. Russell portrayed himself as the "black sheep of the family".[3]
Career[edit]
After his graduation, he began his career working at Easington District Council as an arts administrator. He went back to London and worked as a bartender for a brief stint.[3]
He implemented a paradigm shift in the English hotel industry by taking inspiration from the relaxed atmosphere of eateries, hotels in the US and Italy. He witnessed that in general English restaurants were highly formal in contrast to the environments in Italy and the US. In 2009, he alongside Richard Beatty opened Polpo in Soho, London.[4] He formulated a standard blueprint which revolutionized the English restaurant industry to a whole new level by bringing out key fundamental changes such as small plates, loud music and waiters with tattoos and bed hair.[3][5] His unconventional formula soon became the talk of the town, and his ideology was emulated by other restaurants in London. He also implemented a no-reservation policy for customers, which was later copied by other prominent restaurants in London.[3]
He, along with his long-time business partner Richard Beatty, went on to open four more restaurants in London, catering to a wider range of customers. Both Russell Norman and Richard Beatty, having worked together for several years, turned out to be a fruitful collaboration as they opened 17 more restaurants.[3] In 2020, he stepped down from the Polpo Group due to not keeping up with the promise of pay-outs to the employees owing to the financial constraints caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[3]
During his illustrious career, he had often emphasized the importance of work-life balance and the importance of avoiding micro-managing employees at workplace.[6] He also demonstrated a greater admiration and appreciation for Italian culture which he elaborated as a restaurateur (Italophilia). In 2014, he hosted the BBC Two series titled The Restaurant Man , where he provided guidance and technical assistance to novice and emerging restaurateurs. He also appeared as a guest cook on the British television series Saturday Kitchen for a few episodes.[2]
His first cookbook titled Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts) eventually won the inaugural Waterstones Book of the Year Award in 2012. He also served as a contributing editor to Esquire for a brief stint. He published his second book titled Spuntino: Comfort Food and it won the Guild of Food Writers Award in 2016.[7] His third book titled Venice: Four Seasons Of Home Cooking, was published by Fig Tree.[6] In November 2023, his fourth book titled Brutto: a (Simple) Florentine Cookbook was published.[8]
Death[edit]
He died unexpectedly due to a short illness on 23 November 2023 at the age of 57.[2][4]
References[edit]
- ^ Lee, Jeremy (2023-11-26). "'We all fell madly in love with him. He was a joy.' Remembering the chef Russell Norman". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b c Hill, Amelia (2023-11-24). "Restaurateur and author Russell Norman dies aged 57". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g Obituaries, Telegraph (2023-11-24). "Russell Norman, restaurateur behind Polpo who blazed a trail with small plates and no reservations – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b "Russell Norman: Restaurateur, author and Saturday Kitchen chef dies aged 57". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ Rayner, Jay (2023-11-24). "Russell Norman and his small plates changed British dining for ever". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b Hayes, Martha (2018-04-07). "Russell Norman: 'It's 20 years since I was a chef. I still wake up in a cold sweat'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ Norman, Russell (2018-07-23). SPUNTINO: Comfort Food (New York Style). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4088-4718-3.
- ^ "Restaurateur and author Russell Norman dies aged 57". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-11-26.