My mother is a very strong influence in my life, a strong female influence. She puts us all in line at home. But the way she cooks and feeds us is something. Food for her is not a cost. She will buy the best for us, so we are never without. And then I think Julie Sharp, my mentor, really nurtured me in my culinary cooking. I have a lot of respect and I never use naughty words in front of her. There’s that complete respect with her. And she really looked after me, nurtured me when I was in London as well. So I really love her for that.What’s the most challenging thing about being a chef?I think the most challenging thing is time management, making sure that you balance your lifestyle together and also remembering to breathe. It’s such a high pressure environment. So you will see that when I’m in the car, I actually play classical music. When I’m driving, I always have piano music. I just breathe through it because I just need some downtime. And that really helps me through everything.What’s the most satisfying thing about being a pastry chef?For me, it’s 100% customer service because the guest is the most important thing. When they are smiling, engaging, getting excited, that means a lot. But also, creating a dessert. When I do MasterChef or Dessert Masters, I get excited about creating beautiful food that I am proud of. And then I give it to someone else and they love it as well. That’s really important. Also, just cooking at home for loved ones and them eating and smiling. I never eat until they have started. So I can see their facial expressions. Considering the pressure, you are bound to go wrong with recipes at times. What is that one thing that you always get right?There might be high pressure, but then the end result is always perfect. So no one is seeing the back end of things. They only see the front end. That’s what’s important. Guests dining with you don’t need to see the hustle at the back, they just need to see the beautiful output. What’s your favourite dessert? It’s semolina custard, a Greek recipe, crispy filo pastry and honey syrup.



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