Allegra McEvedy is a celebrity chef, food writer, and broadcaster from England. She has been well known in the food industry for more than 30 years. However, McEvedy has only become known to a wider audience over the last decade. Here are some Allegra McEvedy facts that you might not know and may find interesting.
Allegra McEvedy Facts: Her Family and Personal Life
- Where Was Allegra McEvedy Born?
Allegra McEvedy was born in Hammersmith, London, in November 1970. Writing talent runs in her family, as her mother was a writer, and her father was a psychiatrist, historian, and writer.
2. She Was Expelled from School
One of the Allegra McEvedy facts that people might not know is that she was expelled from school. McEvedy had a private education at St. Paul’s Girls’ School. Although she was a good student in her early years, she had some difficulties in her teens. When she was 17, her mother died. She was also suffering from stress after coming out as gay. It led to her having difficulties in school, and she was expelled. Despite McEvedy’s expulsion, she did take and pass her A-levels.
3. Is Allegra McEvedy Married?
Allegra McEvedy was in a civil partnership with Susi Smither from 2006 until 2012. She was then engaged to food writer, journalist, and activist Jack Monroe. However, McEvedy and Monroe ended their relationship in 2015. McEvedy is currently single.
4. Does Allegra McEvedy Have Children?
Allegra McEvedy has one daughter, Delilah.
5. What Is Allegra McEvedy’s Net Worth?
According to Top Celeb Info, Allegra McEvedy’s net worth is $85 million, which is approximately £59.5 million. She has become wealthy through her success in the food industry and also from her television, writing, and radio work.
Facts About Allegra McEvedy: Her Early Culinary Career
6. She is a Classically Trained Chef
Allegra McEvedy is a classically trained chef. She completed her classical French training at the Cordon Bleu in London in 1991. In the same year, she also obtained the Higher Certificate from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
7. McEvedy Began Her Career in London
After completing her culinary training, Allegra McEvedy began her career in London. Her first job was at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill. Other places that she worked included the Groucho Club, The River Café, and The Belvedere in Holland Park. She got her first head chef position at the age of just 24 in Tom Conran’s restaurant The Cow in Notting Hill.
8. She Worked in the United States
Allegra McEvedy spent several years working in various restaurants in the United States. She moved to San Francisco, where she worked at both Rubicon and Jardiniere. She then moved to New York to run Tribeca Grill, a restaurant owned by Robert De Niro.
Allegra McEvedy Facts: Her Culinary Career Since 2000
9. Allegra McEvedy Ran an Outdoor Café
On returning to the UK, McEvedy joined The Good Cook Group and became the head chef at The Tabernacle. She then became the head chef at Kensington’s The Good Cook. However, she then decided to set up on her own in 2000, and she opened the first outdoor café in the Serpentine Gallery’s Zaha Hadid Pavilion.
10. She Had a Pork Focused Restaurant
While running her outdoor café, McEvedy became the inaugural Chef in Residence for the Institute of Contemporary Arts between 2002 and 2004. She then opened a pork focused restaurant called Blackfoot in Exmouth Market in London. The restaurant was open from 2013 to 2016.
11. She Co-Founded a Healthy Fast-Food Restaurant Group
One of the facts about Allegra McEvedy that people may not know is that she is the co-founder of the healthy fast-food group Leon. The other co-founders are John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby. The first Leon outlet opened in 2004 on Carnaby Street. Although Mcevedy remains a shareholder of the business, she quit her role in the group in 2009 to focus on other projects.
Allegra McEvedy Facts: Her Career as a Food Writer
12. She Has Published Nine Cookbooks
Throughout her career, Allegra McEvedy has published nine cookbooks. Her first was the 2000 cookbook, ‘The Good Cook’. She did not publish her second book, ‘Allegra McEvedy’s Color Cookbook’, until 2006. Her most recent cookbook was the 2016 publication ‘Quick, Quick, Slow’.
13. McEvedy Wrote for The Guardian
In 2007, Allegra McEvedy landed the position of Chef in Residence at The Guardian newspaper. The newspaper published her last article in February 2015.
Allegra McEvedy’s Television Career
14. She First Appeared on Television in 2009
The first time Allegra McEvedy appeared on television in her own series was in 2009. She co-hosted a six-part series on BBC2 called ‘Economy Gastronomy’ with Paul Merrett. A cookbook of the same title accompanied the series. It was written by the two hosts.
15. McEvedy Replaced Mary Berry on Junior Bake Off
In 2015, Allegra McEvedy replaced Mary Berry as one of the judges on ‘Junior Bake Off.’ The following year, she returned as a judge of the series alongside Nadiya Hussain.
16. She Co-Hosts a Series with Fred Sirieix
Since 2018, Allegra McEvedy has been a co-host of ‘Step Up to the Plate’ alongside Fred Sirieix. The CBBC series tests eight young people on their restaurant-running skills.
Other Facts
17. She is an MBE
At the 2008 Birthday Honours, Allegra McEvedy was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to the hospitality industry.
18. McEvedy Supports Charities
Outside of work, Allegra McEvedy supports charity. Since 2012, she has been a Patron of the Fairtrade Foundation.
19. She Bought Back Her Mum’s Wine Bar
When she was growing up, Allegra McEvedy’s mother bought a wine bar in 1976. The bar was called Albertine’s, and it was in Shepherd’s Bush. After a year, her mother sold the wine bar to a man called Giles, says The Guardian. In 2017, McEvedy bought back the bar, and she has said it was one of her proudest moments.
20. McEvedy Has Many Vintage Items in Her Kitchen
As one of Britain’s top chefs, you might think that Allegra McEvedy’s kitchen at home is full of high-end equipment. However, she has many vintage items in her kitchen. One example is a Magimix that was once her mother’s. Even her kitchen table is old. She inherited the table from her home’s previous owners, and they had also inherited the table from the people that lived there before them.
21. She is an Enid Blyton Fan
According to The Hindu, Allegra McEvedy is a fan of Enid Blyton. She has described Blyton as being her first literary love.
If you enjoyed reading our Allegra McEvedy facts, you might also like to read our facts about Robert Irvine, Bobby Flay, Ree Drummond, Nigella Lawson, Andi Oliver, Monica Galetti, and Marcus Wareing.
Feel free to let us know what you think about our facts in the comments section below.