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| Introducing your Hosts | ||
Exciting new food and wine holidays in Southwest France presented by BBC chef Paul Merrett and musical entertainer Kenny Martyn and hotel manager Kathrin Barker. |
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| Paul Merrett | ||
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| Kenny Martyn | ||
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Kenny was born in Liverpool, England, into a musical family of five, and like many from that famous city, decided to make a career in show business. He plays a variety of musical instruments but clarinet remains his favourite and although trained in classical music for many years, it is the sound of Benny Goodman and swing music for which he is renowned. It was none other than British singer Frankie Vaughan who spotted Kenny in a television talent show, he was so impressed that he immediately signed him up for an extensive theatre tour. Since then, Kenny has established himself as a versatile International Cabaret act of great renown and has worked worldwide, performing alongside many American stars including Vic Damone and Neil Sedaka. Specialising in Clarinet and the music of Benny Goodman, Kenny also plays Tenor sax, Alto sax, Ukulele banjo, 5-string banjo in his extensive repertoire that encompasses popular standards, Bluegrass, Swing and Mozart. When time allows, hobbies include international gliding competitions and he even has an Airline Transport pilots licence with eight years experience piloting passenger jets. |
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| Kathrin Barker | ||
Kathrin was born in Koblenz Germany, and spent many summers with her French Grandmother in Metz learning how to cook traditional French recipes. Her Father is a German architect but from an early age, Kathrin set her sights on the hotel trade for which she successfully applied and studied at the ‘Dorint’ four star hotel chain. Her five year apprenticeship began in the kitchen - sweeping! and fortunately progressed quickly through all aspects of cuisine, service and Hotel management. Kathrin hotel skill’s enabled her to take charge of 170 crew aboard a luxury cruise ship as Social Hostess and House keeper. After seeing the world, and meeting her future husband, she chose to work ashore, and in 1996 applied to relocate to Chiswick London, for the Hilton hotel chain. In 1998 Kathrin married in Stansted Mountfitchett, and in 2001 moved to a warmer climate in Southwest France to begin work on her own hotel business, creating both a beautiful French home and successful guest house. |
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