Heston Blumenthal Suffers Rare Esophageal Disorder

So here’s a fun fact about British chef Heston Blumenthal and his bizarre health issues: apparently, the chef/owner of The Fat Duck suffers from a rare esophageal disorder that causes his throat to close when he eats certain foods.

Heston was on stage at the Sydney Theater eating a piece of wagyu beef prepared by Aussie chef Luke Mangan when he began choking and had to rush off-stage. Luckily, Dame Edna was on hand to entertain the audience while Blumenthal coughed up the offending bit of beef.

“It was like a living nightmare,” Blumenthal told The Daily Telegraph. “There are certain foods where my esophagus spasms: red meat, tuna, chicken breast. I’ve been to doctors but it’s quite a risky operation to fix.”

He was also suffering from dry mouth as a side effect of some pain medication he was on, which didn’t help matters. Once he caught his breath, Heston swooped back onstage in time to make his cue and the 2200 audience members were none the wiser. Phew! (Okay, but seriously, a chef with a throat disorder that flares every time he eats meat? What kind of House shit is that?)

[Daily Telegraph]

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!