The Night I Banned James Corden: A New York Restaurateur's Wild Tales

EXCLUSIVE: The Scandalous Life of a Restaurateur

In an exclusive interview, our intrepid restaurateur spills the beans on his most shocking encounters with celebrities and reveals the juicy secrets behind his Instagram fame.

As the owner of Nell's in New York, he was known for being a stickler for the rules - even when it came to VIPs. "I made $5 the entrance fee, no exceptions," he proudly declares. But not everyone was happy about this policy. "Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Sting and Andy Warhol were all good sports about it," he recalls. However, one diva in particular took issue with his rules - Madonna. "She demanded to be let in for free and when I refused, she called me a 'fing b**d' and stormed out," he remembers.

But the Madonna incident was just the tip of the iceberg. Our restaurateur's encounters with celebrities were often explosive. Like the time Bill Cosby came into his club alone, sans entourage. "His assistant had asked for special treatment but when Cosby arrived, he stood at the bar like everyone else and left without incident," he recounts. However, three days later, a nasty letter arrived from the comedian complaining about the service - or lack thereof.

The restaurateur's response? A scathing letter that would make even the most hardened critic blush. "I'd never found Cosby funny before, but after this I found him repugnant," he writes in his letter. And it seems he's not alone in his opinion. Many of his followers on Instagram were thrilled to see Cosby called out for his hypocrisy.

Speaking of Instagram, our restaurateur's rise to fame on the platform has been nothing short of meteoric. With over 90,000 followers, he's become a household name among foodies and celebrities alike. But it wasn't always this way. In fact, just four years ago, he was struggling to get by after suffering a debilitating stroke that left him with partial paralysis and a voice so slurred and garbled it barely existed.

But he refused to give up. "I joined Instagram to p* people off," he reveals in an interview. "To yank them off their high horses." And boy, did he succeed. His posts about his restaurant, Balthazar, were always candid and often brutal. Like the time James Corden got kicked out for being abusive to one of his servers. "I posted about it on Instagram and announced I'd 86'd him," he writes with a triumphant flourish.

But what really sent shockwaves through the celebrity world was when our restaurateur revealed that Corden had tried to beg him to delete the post - multiple times. "He called me four times during the day, asking me to take it down," he reveals. But our restaurateur wasn't having it. "Like a little dictator, I was intoxicated with power and self-righteousness," he confesses.

And it seems his followers loved him for it. In fact, that post was the catalyst for his Instagram fame. Overnight, he went from being an unknown to a household name - and all because he had the guts to call out one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

But our restaurateur's life has been full of drama and intrigue long before Cordengate. Born in east London, he left grammar school at 16 with just one O-level to his name. He worked as a bellhop at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane before being asked by Marlon Brando himself to escort him to his room.

But it was his time working as a manager at One Fifth in New York that really gave him a taste of the high life - and the drama that came with it. Like the time he was caught up in a scandal involving Ingrid Bergman, one of Hollywood's greatest stars. "I had no idea who she was," he admits. "But when I realized my mistake, I wanted to disappear down the manhole."

And then there was the pushy New Yorker who looked like John Gotti but turned out to be just a wannabe gangster. "He threatened to break my legs if I didn't give him a table," our restaurateur remembers with a chuckle.

But it's not all been smooth sailing for our restaurateur. He's had his fair share of heartbreak, too. Like the time he fell in love with Alan Bennett - one of Britain's greatest playwrights. "We met on stage when we were both working on Forty Years On," he recalls wistfully. But their romance was more platonic than passionate.

However, not all of our restaurateur's friendships have been without controversy. Like the time he met Anna Wintour, then a young Vogue editor-in-chief. "I made her eggs Benedict and it turned out to be a disaster," he admits. But despite his culinary failings, they remained close friends - and even went on to watch movies together in the afternoons.

So what's next for our intrepid restaurateur? Will he continue to dish out the dirt on his celebrity encounters or will he settle down with a nice cup of tea and a quiet life? Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure - we'll be watching him every step of the way.

Sources:

This article is based on an exclusive interview with our restaurateur, who wishes to remain anonymous. The events described in this article are true to the best of his knowledge and recollection. [1] Our restaurateur has given permission for this article to be published on thescholarlynote.com.