The chef Marco Pierre White claims to be a country recluse despite being star of Australia’s MasterChef, two top rated UK kitchen series, a new Harvey Weinstein format for the US and hopes his autobiography will be filmed with Michael Fassbender in the lead. All the while heading a lucrative empire of restaurants and doing Knorr stock cube ads.
Born 11 December 1961 in Leeds with a chef father and an Italian mother who died when he was six, he left school without qualifications and trained in London under the classical cooking greats. He was the first British chef to win three Michelin stars and the youngest anywhere at 33. He’s short-tempered in the way of kitchen maestros and criticised by some for turning himself into a brooding celebrity.
He’s a Sun Mars, Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius so colourful and not short of outspoken opinions. His probably Aquarius Moon is conjunct Jupiter and maybe Saturn in late Capricorn; and his Venus is square Uranus Pluto in Virgo, giving him a fast-changing and volatile emotional life with three brief marriages and speedy divorces on his CV. His chart is mainly Mutable, so highly-strung, scattered, needing constant stimulation.
His ‘obsessive’ 11th harmonic is strong, which gives inspired imagination but can also attract enemies. His 9th harmonic is also notable which can bring strength, determination and creative ability and also has a liking for money.
Tr Neptune is squaring his Sagittarius planets on for a few years so not all going to plan; and tr Saturn in Capricorn will damp his enthusiasm a touch as he moves through his Second Saturn Return and dents his enthusiastic Jupiter through till 2021. But he’ll always have a Plan B in mind and move on smartly when certain projects don’t work out.
Of the other famous chefs: Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Michael Roux are all Sun Geminis. Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc – Scorpios. Nigella Lawson and Rick Stein – Capricorn. And the unsurpassable Ferran Adria of El Bulli is Taurus. All of them bar Adria, have a handful of Mutable planets in their charts – Virgo, Gemini mainly and in Nigella Lawson’s case Mars Jupiter in Sagittarius. Surprising there are no Cancerians.
Oh had just looked to see if you had already written about him! Many thanks and see his talk to the Oxford Union on YouTube, it’s remarkable!
Tony Bourdain is a Sun Cancer. And he used to be what I’d call “a traditional” chef for two decades before breaking out as a food writer. Many of the people you mentioned are really Celebrity Chefs, which is a different breed from a traditional chef, although Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay are both. I also think this is very culture specific. French and Italian Grand Chefs also may go to TV, but it’s different, in a way. Paul Bocuse does not share much of his recipes on TV, in a way they are not even replicable. But for a furter study, maybe you should look at the French chefs, since they famously record exact time of birth and the data is public knowledge. Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, the nearest thing to a French Celebrity Chef Joël Robuchon. I think a Sun/important personal planets house position might play a role in the choice of line, and I’m also seriously evaluating Ceres for chef.
For instance, in my personal life, I’m a foodie. I have loads of 2nd house, including Venus, making me a born sensualist. I also have enough Earth on my chart to know how to cook. That said, I mostly let my husband do it. Him cooking was a big part of the courtship. He has Ceres exactly conjunct his Sun in the 8th house. Since it’s in a Fire Sign, he is especially good in flambé and true BBQ. I think he could have made a living out of it if he hadn’t had many other talents, some giving an “easier” return for money.
Interesting, this. Surprised by the lack of Taurus/Cancer (could be their ascendants though, and Nigella definitely looks like an archetypal Taurus lady.) I looked at what their vocational indicators – the planet rising in front of the Sun – might show. Jamie Oliver’s Jupiter rises in front of his Sun in Aries and his Moon’s in Capricorn – no gourmet indications!
H. Blumenthal has Moon/Venus in Taurus (satisfyingly the Moon’s his v.i.) and Michel Roux has Mars conjunct Node in Taurus. Raymond Blanc is Sun/Moon Scorpio with Mercury jammed betwixt, and strangely Nigella’s vocational indicator is Saturn in Capricorn (! more a builder than a gourmet?) squaring onto an Aries Moon. Ramsay’s Venus in Scorpio is his indicator, a nightclub owner might be more his cup of tea? though his whole chart is stupendously competitive to the point of ruthlessness. Marco Pierre White has an Aquarian Moon and Mercury in Sag has the v.k. quite sanguine and contradicting his behaviour mostly.
What I’ve noticed collectively is that many had strong Sun/Saturn or Moon/Saturn connections – perhaps the desire to be taken seriously and there is a whopping lack of fixity in many of the charts. Cardinal and mutable planets dominate, so I’d guess their physical energy and edigness could be lived with only by having super-active physical professions.
I’d have expected more Taurus but not even there in the Moons. Cancer tends to be a catering business sign but maybe not as you say the Michelin 3 star, more family-oriented.
In an interview (magazine, 1998/9?) he once said something like when eating out he always says he has enjoyed the meal because he knows that some days things come together better than others, the ingredients more fresh etc. A very likeable comment imo and in line with your plan B theme in a way?
Thanks Marjorie
I always understood Taurus to represent fine dining, gourmet eating, haute cuisine. That’s what traditional astrology seems to teach and from my own life experience, I have encountered few taureans that can’t cook to a good or great standard or know the best spots in town for the best food. Cancer I understood to be lunar/mother/basic nourishment/a full belly, not necessarily Michelin starred gourmand cuisine. Maybe a wider look at chefs would be illustrative? Moon signs may also be logical?