From
the docks of Liverpool to television fame in the
USA..... TV's Jon Ashton tells us his story.
This is the beginning of my story. Because four
years ago, I left the
docks of Liverpool with little more than $2,000 in
my pocket, a
beautiful fiancé at my side, a dream and a quest to
make my country and Merseyside proud of this scouser.
I hail from Roby,
Liverpool, where I was born 28 years ago. All of my
family still resides there. My Mum, my father, and
my younger sister and older brother. Rebecca and
Derrick are their names.
I grew up in Merseyside
and attended Page Moss Comprehensive School in
Roby. I went on to work in a hotel restaurant in
Roby (The Derby Lodge). While there, I attended St.
Helen’s College and worked nights. I learned more
than how to cook in Liverpool, I learned how to live
life with a smile on my face and love in my heart.
Although my family never
was well off, my family saved up to buy a satellite
dish. The first evening it was installed, my
brother Derrick became king of the remote control.
You must understand, I am two years younger and I
thought of myself as Derrick’s punch bag. It must
happen in many families, but this didn’t make me
feel any better. The only hand-me-downs I got from
him were not the remote, but his smaller clothes.
The kids always asked me if I had gotten the pants
at 50% off because they were so short. Now I know I
could have been a trend setter for Michael
Jackson.
The remote came into my possession one evening after
my brother had gone to bed. I flicked around for a
while, all of a sudden I stopped on a show biography
of the Reverend Martin Luther King. I heard him say
those magical words “ I have a dream” and they went
straight to my soul. I knew that I also had a dream
and it was to become a famous chef in the United
States. And through this achievement, I would be
able to inspire those young people who didn’t know
which way to go to also follow their dreams. By
doing this, they could achieve anything they
wanted.
Achieving my goals is an
on-going trip. My city and my country will be proud
of their native son one day, because I learned a
long time ago that money is secondary in life. Sir
Paul McCartney and the death of Linda helped me see
that happiness is more important in life than just
money. I want to come back to England and talk to
teens. I want to help them focus on their worthwhile
goals and their futures. By my actions, I will show
them that they can focus on what they want to become
and – through hard work – they can obtain them, even
if it means traveling half way around the world to
follow them.
When I arrived on the
shores of the US, I had a giant wake up call. I
didn’t know anyone. No one wanted to know me. I
didn’t know where we were going to live. I just
knew I had $2,000 and a desire to succeed. I soon
acquired a sponsorship as a chef for a family and
Mary – my wife – became the family nanny. They
helped sponsor us into the country. It took three
years to obtain our permanent residency. I was
finally accepted by the US government as A chef
with a unique abilities.
Disney was the first place that I gained any TV
exposure. It was on a cable access channel.
Cookies were the key that unlocked the door to TV
land. They opened the way in a very unusual way. I
had to bait the trap over and over for several
months before the big cheese took the bait. He
said, “Show me a tape of your show”, I said “I’ll
have you one pretty soon.” I wasn’t quite sure how
this all to come about, because I didn’t even own a friggin’ camera. So, I placed an advert on the
bulletin board for people willing to help a British
poor actor with a great concept. Several people
quickly called and volunteered to help. Voila, the
first Mad Chef Show was in the can.
It looked like someone
had gone crazy in a cooks outfit, but I was just
playing myself. The precept was that I went into a
family’s home and cooked a three course meal from
whatever was in the fridge. Of course, they had to
let me have a peek in their drawers, too. This show
drew a regular following and my production team grew
to 12 stalwart souls willing to do damn near
anything to get the show on the air.
Fox network was the next
step. I saw a new morning show “Good Day, Orlando”
and I said to my wife Mary, “Do you think the
cookies will work, again?” She said, “ your cookies
always work, dear!” Fresh cookies sat on the seat
as I drove the 52 miles to the studio. They were
still warm when I knocked on the large stage door at
4:30 am. When the production assistant came to open
it, I gave him a cookie and asked if I could speak
with the producer. He must have mentioned the
cookies, because soon, the producer came to the
door. I said to him “ Have a cookie, my name is Jon
Ashton and I would love to come on the show and
cook”. This went on for two months. They got fat
and I burned a great deal of petrol. I finally won,
I got a call to say that I could have one segment
one time. Now, I am their morning chef.
A celebrity is a state of
mind that I choose not to adopt. All the fame that
I have so far obtained is secondary to the fact that
I am here to serve. It seems like just a job to
me. When someone stops me in the grocery for my
autograph, I always turn around and ask them for
their autograph. This goes back to the house where
it joins the others I have collected. This is not a
study in conceitedness, rather it is to drive home
the point that no matter who we are, we are
important and have worth. Skin colour, religion,
origin, ethnicity, none of these are as important as
who we are. Every person is of equal importance to
me and this small procedure is the way I constantly
remind myself of that fact. This is the way I live
and continue to do so. I hope that - by my actions -
I can show others that it is a good and just way to
live.
Watching “Good Day,
Orlando” is a lot like watching “This Morning” at
home. It has two hosts and a weatherman. These
three people interact with this crazy chef. When
celebrities come to town, they appear on the show to
promote books, films, CDs, etc. For me, being a
part of this madness is so satisfying. It is a
regular challenge to create new recipes that are
unique, seasonal, and fun to watch being created. I
have been so fortunate with the development of a
following. People e-mail with cooking and food
questions.
www.themadchef.com
is one of the sites where I keep in touch
with anyone who might have a cooking challenge. I
would love to hear from people in my country. I
would even love to hear the latest jokes from back
home.
“Living in America” is a
line from a James Brown song, and
it is good.
I admit that there have some rough spots, but the
present is good and the future looks brighter. The
weather is great, the people are friendly, and the
country loves immigrants. As a matter of fact, I
have learned that it was built by the sweat of
immigrants not only from GB but from all parts of
the world.
The future looks good. I
have just been chosen over all other chef candidates
to be the Chef-Spokesman for the United States
Watermelon Promotional Board. This accomplishment
is quite unusual for a chef from Great Britain with
classical French training. I love to adapt what I
know to create the unusual, the new, the preciously
untried. My goals for my future are to be back on
British TV. I see this being accomplished with
several concepts. They would be unique, humorous,
and give a Brit a chance to see my newly adopted
country through a fellow countryman’s eyes. A book
lays in my future, also. This would chronicle the
journey I have taken so far to get where I am. This
book will be collaboration with my best American
friend, Dan. A man who knows more history of Great
Britain than I do. This is but one reason I keep
him around.
All Jon's recipes
Visit Jon's website or click
here to see a short video of Jon in action!
