One of the highest profiles leaving their operation is the ex TV celebrity chef (Ready Steady Cook) and one of the best English chefs to have graced the Costa del Sol with their talent and fantastic food. Steven Saunders has closed his Little Geranium in La Cala de Mijas due to illness that has prevented from doing what he loves for the time being.
His lovely wife Michel posted on the restaurant web site:
“From Monday the 9th of November my beloved husband, our chef and patron Steven, has to have a series of operations to remove thrombosis in his legs caused by extensive time on his feet over many years. He also has a heart murmur which now needs urgent treatment.
All this means that we have no option but to close until Steven has fully recovered. At this time we don’t know when that will be but we will aim to re-open when Steven can walk again.
As you know Steven loves creating and cooking his special food and will miss it during this time as well as miss seeing you all. Thank you everyone for your support and we all look forwards to seeing you as and when possible again.”
Steven Saunders was trained at the famous Savoy Hotel in London in the seventies and went on to become Britain’s youngest Chef Patron of The White Hart Great Yeldham in 1981* Steven was only 19. After several years as Chef Patron Steven bought his first restaurant with 100% bank loan, The Pink Geranium in 1986. He launched his famous Rolls Royce service (collecting clients free of charge) and fell into an opportunity with local BBC Radio to appear twice weekly presenting his own food show. In 1989 Steven was awarded the coveted Michelin red M and Star for excellence and his Pink Geranium restaurant was awarded 3 AA Rosettes putting it in the top 20 UK restaurants and Steven appeared as a regular on BBC’s Good Morning TV weekly and then launched the BBC hit TV series Ready Steady Cook in 1994 which he appeared on approximately 200 shows. Steven was also chef presenter for Channel 4’s Here’s one I made earlier’ and often appeared on other various TV shows like This Morning. Steven has also written 10 best selling cookery books* selling over half a million copies worldwide. He expanded his restaurant and hotel business to The Sheene Mill Hotel nr Cambridge, The Lowry, Manchester, Brocket Hall Restaurant and Golf Club, Welwyn Garden City and Steven Saunders in Newmarket the first 100% accredited organic restaurant. During this time Steven won awards for Best Restaurant UK (for The Pink Geranium) Business Person of the Year, A Fellow of the Master chefs Association (about 30 worldwide) Young Entrepreneur of the Year and an Acorn (Caterer Magazine award) for Best Young Restaurateur.
We all look forward to his hopeful return next year.
