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Peter Boizot | |
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| Born | Peter Boizot (1929-11-16)16 November 1929 Peterborough, England |
| Died | 5 December 2018(2018-12-05) (aged 89) Peterborough, England |
| Known for | Founder ofPizzaExpress |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Peter James BoizotMBE (/ˈbɔɪzoʊ/; 16 November 1929 – 5 December 2018) was an Englishentrepreneur,restaurateur,politician, artcollector andphilanthropist. He is best known as the founder ofPizzaExpress.
The son of Gaston and Susannah Boizot, he was born, educated and lived inPeterborough, England. In his childhood he stopped eating meat,[1] and he remained avegetarian.
Boizot attendedThe King's School, Peterborough where he was head boy[2] and sang in the choir ofPeterborough Cathedral.
In 1953, Boizot earned an Honours Degree in History atSt Catharine's College, Cambridge.Boizot received an Honorary Degree atLoughborough University in 2000 in recognition of his successful business acumen and career, and his contributions to Peterborough.[3]
Boizot foundedPizzaExpress in 1965, after having worked in Europe for ten years and noticing that he was unable to eat an authenticpizza slice in London.[4]Boizot floated PizzaExpress on theLondon Stock Exchange in 1993 but remained president.[5]
His first restaurant opened inWardour Street,Soho, London, to much acclaim, with a second PizzaExpress opening in 1967. He was also the first to importPeroni into the UK. Boizot's empire grew quickly because of its authentic Italian taste and unique artistic approach.[6]
Boizot was an active supporter of theLiberal Party. He twice stood as the Liberal candidate forPeterborough at the general elections ofFebruary andOctober 1974.[7]
In 1977, Boizot created the Veneziana pizza in his PizzaExpress restaurant to gain attention to and raise funds forVenice in Peril. 5p from each Veneziana pizza sold would be donated to the charity, a charity set up to raise funds to restore and conserve works of art and architecture in Venice.
This charity initiative still exists at all PizzaExpress restaurants, but the amount donated has increased to 25p from each pizza. Boizot's efforts have raised over £2,000,000 to date.[8] For his Venice in Peril charity efforts, in 1996, Boizot was appointed a Knight Commander of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic.[9]
He was a benefactor of St Catharine's College and the Peter Boizot Sports Ground on Grantchester Road,Cambridge, was named in his honour.
Boizot was awarded theMBE "for political and public service" in the1986 Birthday Honours.[10]
Boizot was locally renowned as 'Mr Peterborough' because of the work and funds that he put back into his hometown ofPeterborough. He purchased and then modernised his favourite local haunt, the Great Northern Hotel in 1993.[11] In 1997 he bought the ailingPeterborough United Football Club and invested £5 million into its resurrection. Boizot acquired the former Odeon cinema building in 1996 and transformed it into a multi-purpose entertainment venue complete with theatre, concert and conference rooms.[12]
Boizot was an avid jazz fan. He opened his first jazz club, thePizzaExpress Jazz Club, in Soho in 1969, whilst founding the Soho Jazz Festival in 1986. He then opened other PizzaExpress Jazz Clubs across the UK. These jazz clubs have played host to greats such asElla Fitzgerald,Jamie Cullum,Sting,Amy Winehouse andNorah Jones.[13]
Boizot began collecting art from an early age and incorporated art into many of his ventures. AtPizzaExpress and the jazz clubs, he commissioned pop artists such as SirPeter Blake,Eduardo Paolozzi andEnzo Apicella to fill the walls of the establishments.
In 2004, St Catharine's College in Cambridge presented Boizot with a portrait by artist Suresh Patel in recognition of his contribution to the university.
In 2011, Boizot sold the majority of his art collection near his hometown of Peterborough.[14] He worked with restaurant designerEnzo Apicella, who has been credited with being the visual architect of PizzaExpress.
At the age of 84, Boizot turned his life story into the 2014autobiographyMr Pizza and All That Jazz. The work, which was written withjournalist Matthew Reville, received positive reviews.
Boizot died on 5 December 2018 at the age of 89. He was survived by his sister, Clementine Allen.[15]
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