Michael Caines – Chef

Michael was born in Exeter in 1969 and adopted into a large and loving family. He gained his passion for food from his mother who he used to enjoy helping in the kitchen.

Michael attended Exeter Catering College where his precocious talent was already evident, earning him the accolade ‘Student of the Year’ in 1987. He subsequently spent a year and a half at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane in London, before embarking on three influential years under his mentor Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire. From here he then moved to France for a further formative period of training, honing his profession under the guidance of such superstars chefs as the late Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu and Joël Robuchon in Paris.

He returned to Britain in 1994 to take up the position of Head Chef at Gidleigh Park. Gidleigh’s restaurant was already rated amongst the most prestigious in the country so the position represented a massive challenge and opportunity for a young and ambitious chef. Yet, only two months into the job, Michael suffered a terrible car accident in which he lost his right arm.

Remarkably, he was back in the kitchen part time within two weeks, and full-time after just four. With the support of the owners and an unwavering belief in his own ability to overcome obstacles, he returned to the kitchens of Gidleigh Park more focused and determined than ever to pursue his dream of reaching the top of his profession.

Michael founded Michael Caines Restaurants in 1999 and the next year opened his first signature restaurant Michael Caines at The Royal Clarence in Exeter. In 2003, a chance meeting with Andrew Brownsword resulted in a dynamic partnership and the purchase of The Royal Clarence. From there Michael Caines Restaurants has opened in Chester, Manchester and Canterbury.

He is an inspirational leader and loves to share his passion, vision and skills with the teams of talented, enthusiastic chefs that are now working in the kitchens of the restaurants that bear his name.

Stephen Wiltshire – Architectural Artist

April is Autism Awareness Month and with that in mind we have chosen Stephen Wiltshire as our Inspirational DiversityChampion.

Stephen Wiltshire is an architectural artist who at the age of three was diagnosed as autistic.

At school Stephen expressed an interest in drawing and he began to communicate through his art. Teachers encouraged his drawing, and with their aid Stephen learned to speak at the age of five.  At the age of eight, he started drawing imaginary cityscapes and cars and aged 10 he drew a sequence of drawings of London landmarks, one for each letter, that he called a “London Alphabet”.

Stephen only needs to look at a subject once and then he can draw an accurate and detailed picture of it. He frequently draws entire cities from memory, based on double, brief helicopter rides over a city. He produced a detailed drawing of four square miles of London and his longest ever panoramic memory drawing of  Tokyo on a 32.8-foot-long canvas within seven days following a helicopter ride over both cities.

Stephen has been the subject of many TV documentaries, books and articles and in 2006, he was appointed an MBE for services to art.  In September 2006 he opened his permanent gallery in the Royal Opera Arcade, in London and in 2011, he was made an honorary Fellow of the Society of Architectural Illustration (SAI).

Ade Adepitan – TV Presenter and Wheelchair Basketball Player

Ade Adepitan is a television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. He was born in Nigeria on 27 March 1973. At the age of 6 months he contracted polio which resulted in the loss of use of his left leg and very limited use of his right leg. At the age of three, Ade and his mum emigrated to London to join his father.

He was taught how to walk using iron calipers, which he wore until the age of 17. Despite having Polio, Ade loved playing football with his school friends. He spent his early years dreaming of playing football for England.

Ade discovered wheelchair basketball when he was twelve, after being spotted by two Physiotherapists. They saw him being pushed in a shopping trolley by his friends. The shopping trolley was one of Ade’s favourite modes of transport at the time, as it was the only way he could keep up with his friends. Owen McGhee and Kay Owen, were both Physiotherapists whose philosophy was to teach young disabled children how to be independent using sport. After taking Ade to Stoke Mandeville, they introduced him to wheelchair basketball. From that moment Ade’s ambition, was to win a medal in the Paralympics for Great Britain.

After turning down an opportunity to study and play basketball, at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Ade decided to play basketball professionally for two years with CAI CDM Zaragoza. His dream to play for Great Britain at the Paralympics finally came true. After fifteen years, Ade was selected to compete in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

The unprecedented coverage of the Sydney Paralympics boosted Ade’s profile amongst the public and helped him gain the opportunity to become familiar face on television.  Ade has taken part in many shows including documentaries, children’s tv and sports presenting.

Ade is involved in a number of charities, particularly supporting those that help other people with physical disabilities. He is a patron to two charities called Go Kids Go (http://www.go-kids-go.org.uk/index.php) and Scope (http://www.scope.org.uk/). He is also a great supporter of the NSPCC and WheelPower (http://www.wheelpower.org.uk/WPower/).

In 2005 Ade was awarded the MBE for services to disability sport. Find out more about Ade and his current work here http://adeadepitan.com/.

.