Marc Fosh was a pioneer among British chefs in Spain. He was the first to achieve a Michelin star in Mallorca in 2002 and since 2014 has maintained the award at his world-famous Palma restaurant Marc Fosh Restaurant in the centre of the city. However, Marc, who is from Kent, is a man of many talents; he could have been a professional footballer after having trials for Norwich City.
He arrived in Mallorca after six years in San Sebastian and a number of years in France before that, but he admits that here in Mallorca he is in culinary paradise and one that he has had a very important role in creating. But while his culinary reputation continues to delight the world of gastronomy, having published cook books, appeared on TV shows around the globe and been hired as a consultant to top restaurants around the world, including Moscow, during the pandemic he rediscovered one of his other passions in life - music. And on the back of that, at the end of 2022 he wrote a song and got together 14 of the island’s top chefs and organised what was referred to as “Chef Aid”.
Moved by events in Ukraine, the idea was to record a song to raise funds for the World Central Kitchen, which was started by a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. It proved a great success, which he puts down to the chefs and more importantly local composer Sergio Llopis and musician Jaume Anglada.
Music played a big part in the family
And Marc sends his best to Anglada, who is recovering from a serious traffic accident which occurred in Palma just a few weeks ago. Growing up, Marc loved music. “At home music played a big part in the family’s life; we were always listening to music and all styles and sounds. I used to strum my guitar and even when I started at catering school in London would jam with a punk band in the art department next door and go to as many gigs as possible until cooking really took over my life and I guess, until the pandemic, when we were all locked away. I had not picked up a guitar for years or written any songs.
"So, I wrote the charity track and then found myself back in the groove and have written and recorded a few tracks which are now on Spotify with the vital help of Sergio and of course Jaume. The idea is to eventually release an album towards the end of September. To be honest, I’ve so many songs written and more to come, there could be a second album,” he told the Bulletin, for which he has been the resident chef writer for over 25 years.
“I admit I still need to brush up on my guitar playing and could do with some singing lessons, but as Jaume once told me when I was going through a period of frustration. ‘Remember what Johnny Cash used to say - all you need is three chords and the truth’ ”, Marc explained. “So if that was good enough for Johnny, it’s good enough for me.
“And that’s pretty much how I go about my songs. I normally start with a riff and then go from there with the words and eventually take them to Sergio who decides what works and what doesn’t and then sets to work on producing them. He’s a genius and Jaume an inspiration, more so now than ever after the accident,” he added.
“I guess all chefs are artistic and have other bows to their strings, mine is music. My style? Well I’m very eclectic when it comes to music. Having enjoyed the best of the 80s and early 90s, music was all going on from punk to ska, rock and roll, soul, jazz, Mod, new wave. It was such a great period for music, probably the best in the UK, so all that has influenced me over the years.
“I don’t particularly have a message running through my songs. They can cross over all styles and I write about feelings, experiences, love, how I feel that day. And my days tend to start with a cup of tea and then an hour playing the guitar before I put my chef’s hat on and head for work. Then some afternoons, when time permits, I’m in the studio with Sergio and some other local musicians I’ve got to know, and we hope to get together to perform a few small gigs when we launch the album,” he said.
“One of the songs was inspired by a trip I made to Graceland. It’s a homage to Elvis, but I found it quite sad. His spirit very much lives on, unlike him; I guess it’s all about the passage of time and how one feels and reacts to certain events,” Marc explained. “So my music reflects my eclectic tastes but it’s quite relaxed. I always wanted to be like Keith Richards, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he joked. “But I’m getting there with a little help from my friends,” he added.
But back in the restaurant he admits that it’s become a tougher market than when he started out in Mallorca and Palma. “Apart from this year being a strange one, it’s like we’re all waiting for the season to kick off at any moment, then it doesn’t. It’s not a normal summer, perhaps we need a reset and a rethink. “I must admit that when I opened in Palma I had zero competition in the middle to high end of the market. There were excellent tapas bars and quality Mallorcan restaurants but no one doing what I was bringing to the table.
“But since then so many young chefs have come forward, many from the island and quite a few have passed though my kitchen and they’re all doing very well, which is great for them and of course Palma and Mallorca as a gastronomic location. But there’s a feeling that prices have risen perhaps too much, things are more expensive, everything is more expensive. So if you run a top restaurant, want to use the best ingredients, train, hire and maintain the best staff, that costs money and therefore makes business harder.
“Furthermore, I’ve noticed the clientele change. Everything is changing so we’ve got to evolve and adapt and I think that applies across the board. It’s a complicated world out there and one needs structure, and the structure I’ve always applied in my kitchens and instilled in my students and colleagues is channelled into my musical process as a singer and songwriter.
“It’s about balance and things change so quickly. When I look back at the 80s and 90s, we all read NME, went to gigs. And I’d buy all the albums and read the cover sleeves so I knew every ingredient of the band, who played which instrument and I guess that’s the same with my cooking. Every chef needs an artistic outlet and music is another branch for me and many others, like those who collaborated on the charity song. We are all creative but in many fields and away from the heat of the kitchen, it’s my music and I look forward to getting more out there. I just hope people enjoy it as much as my food,” he joked.
To listen to Marc’s latest tracks: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0BgcrHMZQyedcUOAT0327A?si=acP2ucLhTmqM--9-52IHrQ
Marc describes himself as “songwriter and musician known for crafting smooth, catchy melodies steeped in soul and authenticity. Drawing from a rich tapestry of influences - ranging from the raw storytelling of folk blues to jazz and rock - Marc’s sound is both timeless and uniquely his own. Rooted in the emotional honesty of the singer-songwriter tradition, working alongside producer and musical arranger Sergio Llopis, Marc Fosh creates music that resonates deeply with listeners as he invites his audience into stories of love, loss, resilience, and hope.”