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Gang Life Prepared Me for the Kitchen

How Tim Raue overcame a troubled childhood to become one of the world's best chefs.

Tim Raue is one of the world's top chefs; he's cooked for prime ministers and presidents. As a child he grew up in a poor area of Berlin with his mum and often used to go hungry. He also spent a few turbulent years in southern Germany where he suffered abuse at the hands of his father. As a teenager he returned to Berlin and joined a notorious gang called 36 Boys and would have vicious street fights with other gangs in the city. Food became his salvation and, after focusing on a career in the kitchen, he rose quickly through the ranks to become a head chef by the age of 23.

Image: Chef Tim Raue outside his restaurant
Credit: Kieron Humphrey

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19 minutes

Podcast