Keith Floyd
Keith Floyd – 28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009
Anthony Worral Thompson said of him: “I think all of us modern TV chefs owe a living to him. He kind of spawned us all”.
One thing I have noticed about people who rise above the rest of us is perseverance. I sometimes wonder if it is naïve optimism or just plain stupidity but there are those who do not stop persuing their dreams no matter what challenges face them. Their measure of success seems to be in such contradiction to the general populace that failure does not have the devastating affects that is has on most egos.
Case in point is Keith Floyd. A hero of mine and fellow gastronomes (although I dare not put myself at this level) kept rising up when failure kept hitting him in the face. By 28 he had 4 failed restaurants in England and France and was in financial ruin. When he left France after his final restaurant debacle he had only borrowed money and loans to sustain him and to open his….yes 5th restaurant. This restaurant simply called ‘Restaurant’ at last had some measure of success. But his passion for cooking which started as he washed dishes and bussed tables as a young man continued to drive him. He became a radio chef on Radio West, and then went on to his own television show called “Floyd on Fish”. He wrote several popular books and continued to travel and cook. His TV shows were marked by a tendency to drink too much wine and the haphazard way he threw food together. He was a lover of good food; good wine, good friends and the rest of life seemed to elude him. He made others comfortable in their own skin when it came to cooking duck, lobster, stews etc. If you watch any of his shows you will see the man disappear into the food, becoming part of it, savoring it, sharing it and all the while keeping his British humor intact.
His life was a series of financial problems and failed marriages. He lived a life of food and drink extravagance. The Daily Mirror reported that his financial loss was the result of his personally guaranteeing a drink order of 36,000 pounds the equivalent of 59,000.00. Clearly not a man of financial prowess. You would think at some point this man would give in and get a day job, and never want to look at food or restaurants again. However his passion continued to drive him and he traveled all over the world, cooking, drinking, learning and then drinking some more.
His last documentary entitled ‘Keith meets Keith’ where he is interviewed by Keith Allen was broadcast on Channel 4 on September 14, 2009. Ironically, it was discovered that Keith Floyd died later that same day. The man would not go down without a statement. Right up until the last hour of his life, Keith was influencing a world not only about food and fine wine but also to me, about what it means to pursue life, dreams, and your passion without giving in. Not that he knew or even cared that he was doing it!
I need his naïve optimism right now. At 37 years old, it is tempting for me to think that it is too late to pursue what I love. Actually, I think it might have taken me this long to even know what I love. Life is short. I know we have obligations, general daily maintenance etc. but I want to always be willing to start over. To not be afraid of not knowing, to not fear failure, and to be open to the fact that anything is possible, anytime, at any place. Thanks Keith!
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