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Brendan Collins
Chef Expert, MTV's "House of Food"
Brendan Collins is an Executive Chef and highly successful Los Angeles restaurateur. He can now be seen every week as an Expert on MTV's new reality show House of Food. In the show, a group of aspiring chefs with no formal culinary training are put to the ultimate challenge as they live, cook and learn together. They'll be mentored by three of the country's best chefs and have the opportunity to win an apprenticeship of a lifetime.
Born in Nottingham, England, Brendan Collins quit secondary school at the age of 15 to follow his dream and enroll in culinary school. A true talent, by 17 he had his first job at a Michelin two-star restaurant, London's Le Gavroche. He continued to hone his French technique at some of London's top gastronomic temples including The Café Royal, The Heights, and Pied et Terre.
Collins' first executive chef position was at The Calls Grill in Leeds. Under his direction, the fledgling dining room received the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand in 1999. Soon after, Collins returned to London to work as a sous chef at Oxo Tower Restaurant, a modern British restaurant owned by the Harvey Nichols Group, before accepting the position as sous for celebrity chef Marco Pierre White at Quo Vadis. While there, Collins garnered one Michelin Star.
At the behest of celebrated chef Josiah Citrin, Collins moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to serve as chef de cuisine at his acclaimed Melisse Restaurant in Santa Monica. During his four-year tenure at Melisse, the restaurant received the Mobile Four Star Rating each year and was among the first California dining destinations to be awarded a coveted Michelin two star rating. Collins left Melisse to open Mesa in Orange County; as executive chef there, the restaurant enjoyed great critical and popular success. Collins returned to Santa Monica to open Anisette with Alain Giraud. Not long after the opening, he was lured away by an offer to become executive chef of The Hall at Palihouse. There he solidified his individual culinary style and gained fan following while winning critical acclaim.
As Executive Chef and Proprietor at Waterloo & City, Collins combines his impeccable French technique, seasonal California ingredients, and imitable "British lad" attitude to create a cuisine that's at once comforting and exciting. Drawing on his training in butchery and belief in using the whole animal, Collins is dedicated to using only the best ingredients and cooking food that he likes to eat.
Brendan is a popular speaker for colleges and corporate audiences. In his presentations, he shares his personal insights and experiences of what it's been like going from a chef to a successful entrepreneur running several restaurants. He also talks about the importance of pursuing your dreams, keys to being a great leader & mentor and much more.
Collins is a dedicated husband to wife, Eden Rountree Collins, and father to daughter, Saffron Rose Collins.
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