CLUB CLASS

EXECUTIVE ROBERT EARL AND CHEF JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN COMBINE LAS VEGAS GLAMOUR WITH HIGH-END BRITISH TASTE AT EXCLUSIVE LONDON CLUB FIFTY ST JAMES interview: bethan ryder portr ait jo broughton

ROBERT EARL

Florida-based, British-born entrepreneur Robert Earl, 54, is the founder of the Planet Hollywood brand and more recently, Fifty St James – a members-only club that includes a casino, bar, club and two restaurants WHEN I was creating Fifty St James I wanted the very best, so I persuaded Jean-Georges to return to London. Though his career had gone meteoric and international, I wooed him back. I’m a charmer. It was perfect having his diverse offering of cuisines under one roof. He visits several times a year to cook and one of his disciples is permanently in the kitchen doing it the Jean-Georges way. It’s our first venture together and I hope to do more. Even if you don’t know much about art, you can study a painting and see that the artist was very gifted with a light touch. Jean-Georges is the same with his food. Take his crab wonton soup – it’s phenomenally light. He was planning a southeast Asian Malaysian street food menu for Rama (one of the two restaurants at the club), but I persuaded him to include three dishes from his restaurant 66 because the Brits would like them – ribs, duck and two-flavoured shrimp. Of course, his versions are more adventurous! Not that we argue. I defer to him because he’s more sensitive than me, but I have opinions about the British palate – we like spicy food but also dishes we’re familiar with. I think he knows that I will protect his brand and that I’m a doer who cuts straight to the chase. I admire the huge knowledge he’s built up over the years. He’s got the best name and the most successful restaurants in the US and he’s constantly developing new ideas. The British public should visit his US restaurants, such as Prime inside the Bellagio Casino, which faces the best casino in Las Vegas – my one. It’s called the Aladdin but is under construction and will be Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino by early 2007. Stay tuned, there’ll be 12 restaurants with top chefs and designers involved. I’d like to take the Fifty brand to other places globally and when I do I’d obviously ask the same team to go with me.

JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN

Award-winning chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, 49, is renowned for his fusion cuisine. He has 16 restaurants worldwide, including Prime in Las Vegas and Rama and V at Fifty St James in London I RAN Vong restaurant at London’s Berkeley Hotel for eight years but lost our lease. I really wanted to return because I love the city. Robert Earl, whom I’ve known for years both as a customer and friend, suggested I do both restaurants at Fifty St James. We reunited the old Vong team, including chef Sean Gilmour which has been very nostalgic. Perhaps in the future I’ll open a free-standing restaurant in London, maybe with Robert. He’s full of ideas and has great imagination. We respect each other and rarely disagree because we have the same vision: it’s all about pampering. Robert is master of pampering people and that’s why I went into the business 30 years ago. Robert’s a visionary, whether you like his style or not. He’s very demanding on himself, as am I. In business, you have to be like that of yourself first, then demanding of your team. It’s a people business; you have to have the right team to reproduce your idea and your daily expectations. He has a good sense of that and that’s good because you can’t do it alone. I’ve jokingly called him Dr Evil because he sees everything – even the speck of dust in the corner – which makes him brilliant. He’s very honest too, which I appreciate. When he comes to one of our New York restaurants, he gives me frank feedback. His life is built on dreams and ideas, but he makes them happen. In restaurants, you have to be very open to trying new things. There’s never a dull moment with Robert, that’s for sure! Compared to other business partners, he’s more passionate, that’s his charm. He’s never cooked for me, but I’m ready for an invite. But even if he had somebody else cooking, it would be his flavour. His talent is inspiring people to create his vision. We met for only one hour before signing the deal for Fifty St James. That’s his forte; that he’s such a nice person and he can sell you a pitch.