Fred Sirieix

Fred Sirieix
Born Fred Sirieix (age 46)[1]
Residence Tooting, London, United Kingdom
Occupation Maître d'
Employer Channel 4
Known for First Dates
Home town Limoges, France
Children 2

Fred Sirieix is a French Maître d'hôtel best known for appearing on Channel 4's First Dates. Sirieix grew up in Limoges, France and trained to work in front of house in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before working at La Tante Claire in London. He is currently the general manager of Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton.

Sirieix is the founder of National Waiters Day, the training tool the Art of Service as well as the Galvin Cup and Galvin's Chance charities. Sirieix also helped to launch the Right Course which teaches prisoners about the service industry. He has also released a book called First Dates: The Art of Love and a music track, La Vie Continue. He has also recently been featured in a show with Gordon Ramsay.

Early life

Sirieix was brought up in Limoges, France. His parents both worked in healthcare and says they inspired him to work in the service industry: "The conversation around the dinner table was all about patient care. It was about making sure people had a good experience.”[2]

Career

Sirieix began his career in the food industry at catering college, receiving some training as a chef, before quickly deciding to focus on front of house and trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France, before moving to London restaurant La Tante Claire where he worked as Chef de Rang. Following this, he worked at Le Gavroche, Sartoria and Brasserie Roux. He is currently general manager at Galvin at Windows, a Michelin-starred restaurant on the 28th floor of the London Hilton hotel on Park Lane.[3][2]

On Christmas Day 2012, Sirieix launched National Waiters Day to celebrate the work of front of house staff and attract people into the profession.[3][2] In 2011, he launched The Art of Service - a board game for teaching customer service in hotels and restaurants.[4] Sirieix is also involved in charity work, creating a cocktail competition called the Galvin Cup, which awards young bartenders. He also created the charity Galvin's Chance, which supports underprivileged young front of house staff in London and Scotland's best hotels, restaurants and bars.[3] In 2017, Sirieix, along with Novus, launched the Right Course, which remodels prison staff restaurants to operate as high street restaurants to teach prisoners cooking and about other aspects of service industry.[5]

Television

Sirieix is the Maître d' on Channel 4's First Dates, deciding to be part of the show because "it sounded fun and you have to consider any opportunity. I looked carefully at it and became sure it was a good programme at heart."[2] He was also Maître d' on the First Dates spin-off show, First Dates Abroad.[6] In addition to First Dates, Sirieix, along with celebrity chef Michel Roux Jr, co-hosted BBC Two's Michel Roux's Service.[7] In 2012, he appeared on BBC One's The Apprentice whilst the programme filmed at Galvin at Windows.[8] In 2017, he appeared in Channel 4's Tried and Tasted: The Ultimate Shopping List.[9]

In 2018, he presented Million Pound Menu, a new show for BBC Two.[10] In December 2017, he appeared in ITV's Gordon, Gino and Fred's Great Christmas Roast, alongside Gordon Ramsay and Gino D’Acampo.[11]

Other ventures

In 2016, Sirieix released a book called First Dates: The Art of Love.[12]

In 2015, Sirieix released a music track with Mark King from the band Level 42 and rapper XO MAN called La Vie Continue (Life Goes On). Sirieix describes it as "a song about love, loss and everything in between".[13]

Awards

In 2010, Sirieix was nominated for the Cateys manager of the year award, winning it three years later in 2013. In October 2011, he won the National Restaurant Awards' Personality of the Year for his charity work and promoting the hospitality profession. He was voted Educator of the Year in 2012 at the Imbibe awards and in March 2014, he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of West London.[3]

Personal life

Sirieix enjoys keeping fit and is a keen runner and does thirty minutes of boxing in the afternoons,[14] saying "I love boxing, I really love it – what a sport. It's got everything: it’s about the physical fitness, but also your mental fitness."[8] He cycles to work and says he completes 300 press-ups every day as soon as he wakes up.[8][14]

Fred arranged a charity boxing match event in 2011 in which he fought chef Tom Haste (now of The Lady Ottoline). Fred was the clear favourite but was defeated by knockout.

Sirieix says he has "always had a very strong interest in the inner workings of the mind and how we can use it to visualise and create all sorts of possibilities for ourselves," and has read many books in his "quest for wisdom", with his favourite book being Meditations by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.[15]

He lives in Peckham, south London.[16] During an interview for the Daily Mail in 2016, Sirieix said that he was living with his former partner and their two children, but was in a new relationship. In 2018, Sirieix announced he was in a relationship, referring to his partner only as his 'fruitcake'.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Henman, Ellie (6 April 2018). "Inside First Dates legend Fred Sirieix's 'secret' real life OFF screen with new love". The Sun. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rayner, Jay; Lewis, Tim (17 April 2016). "The art of service: secrets of the maître d'". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Fred Sirieix - General Manager : Galvin at Windows". www.galvinatwindows.com. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Paskin, Becky. "Fred Sirieix launches The Art of Service board game". BigHospitality.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Gerrard, Neil. "Fred Sirieix to front new programme to get young offenders into hospitality jobs". thecaterer.com. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  6. ↑ Nankervis, Troy (23 March 2017). "First Dates maître d' Fred Sirieix promises fans surprise 2017 location change". Metro. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  7. ↑ http://www.afws.co.uk/2014/03/michel-rouxs-service-so-where-is-the-winner-now/
  8. 1 2 3 Keegan, Natalie (13 February 2017). "Who is Fred Sirieix? First Dates maître d' and restaurant manager". The Sun. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Rayner, Jay (6 June 2017). "What happens when you strip food of the branding and just rely on taste?". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "BBC - BBC announces new popular factual and factual entertainment commissions - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ Starkey, Adam (21 December 2017). "Gordon, Gino and Fred prove a winning combo on Great Christmas Roast". Metro. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  12. ↑ Midgley, Dominic (21 September 2016). "First Dates Fred Sirieix: My recipe for the perfect first date". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Delgado, Kasia. "First Dates maître d' Fred has gone from matchmaker to musicmaker". RadioTimes. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  14. 1 2 Jones, Emma (27 March 2016). "First Dates' Fred Sirieix on becoming TV's love guru and keeping romance alive". mirror. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  15. ↑ BENYON, LUCY (31 October 2016). "Fred Sirieix: Five Things I Can't Live Without". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  16. ↑ Corcoran, Rachel (22 January 2017). "First Dates Hotel's Fred Sirieix: We have to live as if it's the last day". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
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