NICK Lander is a bastard.
There, I said it. Why? Because Lander - author, restaurateur and Financial Times food critic - weaves words of such effortless truth and finesse that it makes others (me) read like a sestina by Jar Jar Binks.
"Nick brilliantly articulates the intangiable but steely magic that makes the difference between good restaurants and great ones"
Manchester-born and Cambridge-educated Lander took on Soho's famed French gaff L'Escargot in 1981 and turned it into the London restaurant as all the local media trendies flocked and the rest followed.
Still, the stress of running the place induced epilepsy in Lander (understandable when you're serving Princess Di on one table and Mick Jagger on another), so he packed it in and instead became restaurant critic for the Financial Times in 1989, a position he's held ever since.
In 2012 Lander published his magnus opus, what many refer to as an 'industry bible' - The Art Of The Restaurateur. The book begins with a doozy:
"Chefs, in my opinion, have been elevated to an overly lofty position..."
Easy to see why it's a hit with restaurateurs, eh?
L'Escargot
A mighty coup then for this year's Northern Restaurant & Bar show to announce Nick Lander as the headline speaker at the NRB Debate 2015 - which last year hosted Manchester hospitality golden-boys Tim Bacon (Living Ventures) and Marcelo Distefano (San Carlo).
On Tuesday 17 March, Lander will discuss the 'universal rules of running a restaurant' and how they apply to the city's raging food and drink scene.
“I’m thrilled to be invited to speak at the NRB Debate, and delighted to return to the city that first titillated my tastebuds,” he says. “The region’s food and drink scene is clearly blossoming so it will be fascinating to discuss the Art of the Restaurateur and its application in the North.”
NRB show, Manchester Central
NRB Director, Thom Hetherington, said:
“I am personally a massive fan of the book, and Nick – as a hugely respected food writer and a restaurateur of some repute – brilliantly articulates the intangiable but steely magic that makes the difference between good restaurants and great ones.
"The art of the restaurateur is a difficult thing to master, but Nick’s book, which was named Economist's 'Book of the Year', certainly helps to reaffirm some important principles.”
The NRB Debate takes place at Manchester Central on Tuesday 17 March at the Northern Restaurant & Bar show.
Tickets for the NRB Debate are priced at £60 (inc. lunch, wine and VAT) and are available from www.NRBDebate.co.uk.
