About Magnus Mumby

Born in Manchester, U.K., Magnus Mumby spent his youth in an environment rich with the knowledge of health, nourishment, and quality cuisine. The son of renowned M.D., alternative medicine specialist, author, and food-allergy expert, Professor Keith Scott-Mumby, Magnus began cooking natural foods for patients of his father’s clinic while still in his teens. Guided by his father’s expertise in health and nutrition, Magnus learned, hands on, the healing power of food and experimented with ingredients and preparations. This early experience ignited his passion for nutritious recipes, facilitated his flair for food, and peaked his interest in the impact of food on vitality. In terms of both experience and enthusiasm, the course had been set for what would become his future career.

Upon completing school, Magnus was restless: eager to experience the world and gain the wisdom of a well-rounded gastronome. Beginning in 1987, he travelled extensively throughout Europe, journeying from country to country, mastering a diverse range of national and regional cuisines. In the years between 1987 and 1990, he lived and worked as a cuisinier in France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Austria, and Spain; he perfected the basics of a variety of preparations, including handmade pasta creation; saucier and charcouterie work; the making of fresh breads, ice creams, sorbets, and gelatos; and chocolatier and patisserie work.

In 1990, Magnus returned to the U.K., where he accepted the position of sous chef at The Bold Hotel in Southport. Here, he honed his expertise in kitchen management and logistics, while enjoying the settled pace of a less nomadic lifestyle. But it didn’t last long.

His work as second in command quickly gained notice, and he was awarded a stage to work under renowned British chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White at the landmark Harveys in London; however, he would never actually experience the British legend: The day before Magnus was to depart, he sliced a tendon in his hand on a kitchen knife and was sidelined for six months.

Magnus missed the opportunity to work alongside two legendary chefs simultaneously, Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay—who was also working with White at the time. However, some good did come of what seemed to be a setback: Once recovered, and now open to a new opportunity, Magnus landed his first head chef appointment—at the well-known Café Primavera in Manchester, sister establishment to the celebrated Lime Tree. It was here the industry truly took notice.

While commandeering the kitchen at Café Primavera, another career-changing event occurred. Magnus was named one of the Top Ten New Chefs of the Year by Esquire magazine. He had just turned 20.

In 1992 Magnus left Café Primavera. In the years following his departure, he took on a number of new launches and turnaround projects, earning a reputation as the go-to chef for returning faltering restaurants to profitability. During this period, he opened Manchester establishments such as The Polar Café, The Lighthouse, the French Piccadilly, and Havana, as well as heading up several gastro pubs in Berkshire and Surrey. He also spent a year at the Southeast Asian chain Wok Wok, where he was hired as executive chef for the Manchester eatery, but within three months was promoted to oversee the opening of all locations outside London; in addition, he served as the “face” of the chain, functioning as the company’s PR and media liaison.

But it wasn’t just his talent for turning around kitchens from an organizational and profitability perspective that was earning him honors. And it wasn’t just that he could create delicious cuisine. Magnus was establishing a reputation based on his nutritional knowledge, artistic presentations, and philosophies about food: how to eat to stay slim, what to eat for energy, and how food impacts overall health, among other principles that were seriously appetizing to U.K. audiences. As a result, he began being sought out to pen articles for publications and make television and radio appearances.

In 1999, Magnus was offered his most prestigious position yet: head chef at the Old Stock Exchange, arguably Manchester’s premier restaurant at the time. Also arguably Magnus’ greatest challenge to date, as the Old Stock Exchange boasted an exemplary reputation, serving gourmet Italian cuisine to over 150 patrons nightly and offering an enormous selection of fresh fish that rotated on a daily basis in addition to handmade petit fours, ice creams, and other delicacies.

During his tenure as executive chef, Magnus led the Old Stock Exchange to numerous awards and accolades, including a two-Rosette designation from the AA (Automobile Association travel authority), the AA’s award for Best Italian Wine List, Hi-Life dining card’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant, and the Best Wine List honor from Food Northwest’s annual Food & Drink Festival. He was also the festival’s Best Chef of 2002.

But he was, once again, restless.

Instead of coasting on his Best Chef accolade and simply enjoying the life of a young libertine with a penchant for partying, Magnus took off for the Indian subcontinent to further cultivate his culinary skills. During the next four months, he travelled throughout India and Sri Lanka, expanding his knowledge of food, while embarking on some of the rogue and reckless adventures that would define his public persona.

Upon his return in 2003, Magnus found himself in high demand; he began working as a freelance head chef and consultant in an effort to lend his talents to a variety of establishments. During the next year, he presided over the kitchens of such noteworthy hotels and eateries as The Chequers Inn in Nottinghamshire (helping them achieve their first Rosette), The Monsal Head Hotel in Derbyshire, the Judges Country House Hotel, and the Renaissance Derby/Nottingham Hotel. He also transitorily ran the multi-award-winning Seaham Hall during its tenure as AA’s Hotel of the Year; he returned two years later as part of the team that would earn its first Michelin Star.

Between 2004 and 2007, he took on two extensive consultancy projects. The first was the establishment of The Rainbow restaurant/café in Lewes, Sussex, an undertaking in which he was involved from strategic planning, through kitchen design and construction, to restaurant décor and menu creation—ultimately overseeing kitchen operations and training permanent chefs prior to his departure.

The second project was directing a major reinvention of the Moyles Hotel in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Although being offered several head chef positions in prominent establishments—including The William Wordsworth Hotel, Nico Central, and a group of London-based restaurants—Magnus chose the more provocative option, the little-known Moyles Hotel. This decision proved challenging, but in the end, a gratifying success: Within a mere three months, Magnus had the hotel turning a profit by more than doubling revenue, transforming an underperforming auberge into an exclusive boutique inn complete with fine dining to match.

Since revamping and invigorating the kitchens of hotels such as Hackness Grange Hotel in Scarborough and the Dean Court Hotel in York—the latter where he increased its standing to a two-Rosette, four-star level—Magnus has begun making a name for himself in one area of the world he had previously left unexplored—the U.S.

As of 2009, at the age of 38, Magnus is based between the U.K.’s Peak District and New York City. In the U.K., he is in the development phase of a restaurant at the Windy Harbour Farm Hotel, which will serve back-to-basics cuisine aimed at making delicious and nutritious fare available for an affordable price.

In N.Y., he is at work on his first book, engaged in a variety of consulting projects, and writing articles for food magazines. Most importantly, he continues to focus on developing recipes that combine health, nutrition, sophistication, and simplicity of preparation. On a daily basis, he strives to further his mission: enabling people to easily and inexpensively create cuisine that will help them feel healthy while indulging in exceptional dishes.

Known in the British media for his colorful personality and bad-boy behavior, Magnus’ out-of-the-kitchen antics at times overshadow his unique abilities. It’s true, he has cooked for—and been caught in the company of—everyone from sports stars and members of Parliament to rockstars, gangsters, and other questionable characters. But consumers haven’t been fooled. This charismatic chef has proven himself by delivering taste and style to the tables of consumers around the world via recipes that are both healthy and wholesome.