Who’s Cooking Dinner? raises over £500,000 for Leuka

On Monday, March 7, the annual Leuka charity event Who’s Cooking Dinner? returned to the kitchens at Four Seasons Hotel at Park Lane for its 17th year. The event, which raises money to fund vital research into the causes and treatment of leukaemia and blood cancer, saw 20 leading names from the culinary world come together for one night, cooking for 200 lucky diners raising over £500,000.

The 2016 chef line-up included: Angela Hartnett (Murano), Ashley Palmer-Watts (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal), Brett Graham (The Ledbury), Bruce Poole (Chez Bruce), Chris & Jeff Galvin (Galvin Restaurants), Clare Smyth (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay), Claude Bosi (Hibiscus), Dan Doherty (Duck & Waffle), Francesco Mazzei (Sartoria), Gary Lee (The Ivy), Giorgio Locatelli (Locanda Locatelli), Hideki Hiwatashi (Sake no Hana), Mark Hix (HIX), Nathan Outlaw (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Outlaw's at The Capital Hotel), Nieves Barragán Mohacho (Barrafina), Nuno Mendes (Chiltern Firehouse), Rainer Becker (Zuma), Sally Clarke with Michele Lombardi (Clarke's), Tim Hughes (Scott’s) and Tong Chee Hwee (HKK). Collectively the chefs hold 16 Michelin stars between them.

Founder of the event, Peter Gordon said: "When I first came up with the idea for Who's Cooking Dinner back in 1998 I never dreamt it would have become the huge success it is today". Peter not only directs the chefs on the evening but is also a Patron of the charity.

The New Zealand-born chef famed for his ‘fusion’ style of cookery has been passionate about the cause since he donated bone marrow to his youngest sister Tracey, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1995 but who has since made a full recovery. Peter wanted to do something to help other families battling with leukaemia.

The evening began with a draw during the pre-dinner reception where guests were informed which chef was cooking for their table. Following the meal with matched wines chosen by each restaurant’s sommelier, diners took part in an auction where they had the chance to bid for the chefs to cook in their own home.

The top three bids of the night amassed a total of £91,000 with Brett Graham’s auction going for £31,000, Angela Hartnett and Mark Hix’s dinner raised £30,000 and the bid for Rainer Becker went for £30,000.

In addition, exclusively this year, the Godfather of English Pop Art Sir Peter Blake created a bespoke Who’s Cooking Dinner? piece of artwork for the auction to help raise extra funds for the worthy cause.

Chris Corbin, (The Wolseley, The Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel and Colbert) Chairman of Leuka and Who’s Cooking Dinner? said: “The event was a huge success and this year we raised even more money for the charity thanks to the chefs and their teams who donate their time - cooking a memorable meal for the guests. Each year I’m astounded by the generosity of our diners and together we’ve raised substantial funds for the research and treatment of leukaemia and blood cancer. Thank you to all our sponsors and donors.”