Words by Natasha Were.
What motivated you to be a chef? It is all I’ve ever wanted to do.
What qualities make a great chef? Passion, attention to detail, and a great team.
What are three ingredients you couldn’t live without? Homemade pasta, extra virgin olive oil and cheeses.
What is the dish TO TRY at Agua? Agua Tuna, Agnolotti and Octopus Anticucho.
Where do you find inspiration for new recipes? Liaising with the team, online research, and working with local producers.
If you were not a chef, what would you like to be? A travel agent. I love cooking but also because it allows me to travel, get to know new cultures and different ways of life.
If you could eat at any restaurant, where would YOU GO? I would always choose a family restaurant, as these are the places that truly reflect the culture and tradition of the country I am in.
What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? I think when I tried the snake in Thailand.
What’s your go-to quick and easy meal to make? Spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli pepper. It’s perfect to prepare with local seasoning peppers and scotch bonnets.
What are three ingredients you couldn’t live without? Sexy salt, fine olive oil and lemon love.
What is the dish to try at Ave? Too many to list! However, from the a la carte menu: burrata, hummus, pollo al mojo rojo, lobster risotto, and Seafire s’mores.
Where do you find inspiration for new recipes? Social media, books, magazines, and brainstorming with the teams.
If you were not a chef, what would you like to be? I have a deep love for all music and always dreamed of being a recording engineer.
If you could eat at any restaurant, where would YOU GO? My thoughts on this change weekly, but I would love to visit Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark.
What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? I have tried a lot of interesting stuff – the 1000-year-old egg, conch penis, cow cod, lamb brains...okay, I’ll stop here!
What’s your go-to quick and easy meal? Anything on the BBQ, from slow-grilled potatoes and veggies to seafood and steak. If I am feeling basic, a simple peanut butter sandwich will do!
What is the first dish you ever learned to make? I was ten years old when I made my first family dinner: pumpkin beef soup.
What motivated you to become a chef? The love of food, the fact that I can be as creative as I want to be and, most importantly, that food makes people happy.
What qualities make a great chef? A passion for food and cooking, but also mental and physical stamina and great communication skills.
What are three ingredients you couldn’t live without? Fresh thyme, scotch bonnets and butter.
What is the dish TO TRY at the Lobster Pot? The Pot! It’s the ultimate seafood meal.
Where do you find inspiration for new recipes? Fresh local ingredients. There is nothing better than fresh produce. Farm-to-table wins!
What’s your go-to quick and easy meal to make? A good grandmother-style chicken soup.
What is the first dish you ever learned to make? One of my earliest cooking memories is making pastry in the family kitchen. Coming from an English background, it would have been for some sort of pie.
What qualities make a great chef? Hard work and dedication are important but it is the hunger to continually grow and seek out new ideas that is the difference between a good chef and great chef.
What are three ingredients you couldn’t live without? Eggs, butter and soy sauce.
Where do you find inspiration for new recipes? Travelling – the way different cultures use their ingredients in creative ways opens your mind to new techniques and inspires creativity.
If you were not a chef, what would you like to be? In my spare time I do a lot of DIY and decorating around the house, so I could see myself renovating and reselling old properties.
What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? Larva grubs in a Vietnamese street market – not as revolting as you think.
