Curtis Stone Recalls Sharing A Laugh With The Queen - Exclusive

Between his innovative fine dining restaurants and his many television experiences, Curtis Stone has become one of the most famous Australian celebrity chefs. From "Iron Chef" to "Top Chef Masters," Stone became a fan favorite thanks to his energetic personality and contagious sense of humor. Though he hails from Australia and has lived in major culinary cities like London, Stone's most famous restaurant, Maude, is located in the heart of Los Angeles. He also has a second LA restaurant called Gwen, as well as a restaurant in Dallas called Georgie.

That said, Stone's latest and greatest project centers around a booking platform called Gathar, which makes it easier than ever for people to hire private chefs for at-home entertaining. During an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Stone discussed everything from the ins and outs of Gathar to professional cooking tips and tricks to his special experience of meeting the queen in London.

Years ago, while living in London, Curtis Stone was invited to a reception for Aussies living in the city. "I'm not sure how they classified it, but [they invited] 'movers and shakers' from different industries, I guess. They invited me and my co-star on a show — Ben O'Donoghue, who's also an Aussie and was also living in London," explained Stone.

During that reception, Stone had the rare opportunity to meet and chat with Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip. "We were invited to Buckingham Palace, and we met the queen, and we met Prince Phillip in one of the stately rooms. We had afternoon tea, and it was very, very sweet. It was one of those moments in your life that you can't quite believe is happening to you. It was really cool," Stone told us. He also had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch a glimpse of the queen's humor. 

"Meeting the queen was certainly a unique experience. She was actually very funny, and she was very personable. She took time with her guests and chatted to us, and she made a couple of jokes. Somebody else made a joke that she thought was ridiculously funny, and she was really lovely," said Curtis Stone. Given Queen Elizabeth's recent passing, this memorable moment is one that Stone will surely cherish forever.

During his time in London, the renowned chef was also given the chance to cook for other royals like Princess Anne and Princess Margaret when they would visit his restaurant in London. While Stone's career has allowed him to meet some of the most famous individuals in the world, there is no denying that meeting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip left a lasting impression. Being able to share such a genuine and normal moment with an international icon and historic figure is priceless. 

Gathar is now available for booking in Los Angeles.