Prue Leith

Prue Leith was a British-South African restauranteur, chef, caterer, TV presenter, journalist, and novelist who enjoyed a wildly accomplished career in the world of cooking, from opening a Michelin-starred restaurant, to starting two highly accredited culinary schools, from publishing a number of best-selling cookbooks and novels, to finally becoming a judge on one of the most popular cooking competition shows of all time. Born on February 18, 1940 in Cape Town, South Africa, Leith was the only daughter of Sam Leith, an executive for a company that produced dynamite for mining operations, and Margaret 'Peggy' Inglis, South Africa's most famous actress in that day and age. She attended St. Mary's School, Waverley, a very exclusive English boarding school in Johannesburg run by Anglican nuns, before moving on to Capetown University. While at college, Leith struggled to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, switching her major multiple times, from drama to fine art to architecture and finally to French. Her interest in the latter subject lead her to study at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she realized her real passion lie in the culinary arts. In 1960, Leith began classes at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, before starting a party and event catering company. This would soon grow into her first business venture, Leith's Good Food, and she soon became renowned for supplying business lunches to London's upper crust. Before long, Leith wanted a place to call her own, so in 1969, in the posh Notting Hill neighborhood of London, she opened her first restaurant, Leith's. It was a resounding success, earning Michelin stars, rave reviews, and turning her into a genuine foodie phenomenon in the UK. She was an in demand food columnist, reviewing restaurants and opining on culinary trends for the likes of the Daily Mail, the Sunday Express, the Guardian, and the Daily Mirror. In 1974, she married author Rayne Krueger; they would go on to adopt a daughter, Li-Do, f