Top of the Class - Series 1 - Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes was making Sunday lunch for his mum when he was 14. The 1970s was not an era for a football loving boy to tell his schoolfriends that his dream was to be a top chef, so he applied secretly to Thanet Catering college. Overjoyed to be accepted, he panicked on the first day when he couldn't answer the question "what is a sauce bechamel?" He thought he would never make it in the world of cookery, but he ended up being the college's top student, became a successful restauranteur and a TV Chef who now has restaurants around the globe and is a prolific cookery writer. Much of his success he feels was down to the excellence of the training he got from Thanet Catering College and in particular, his mentor Mr. Barrett. John Wilson reunites Gary with Mr. Barrett and his great friend and rival from college days, Martin Nash, who followed his own catering career. Producer - Sarah Taylor.