What was your first industry job?
Working at the Royal Garden Hotel when I was 16 years old.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
I am a people’s person. Maybe A&E, so I could help people. Or I’d really love to work for MI5.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Disorganisation!
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence
Tasty comfort food.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
You must love it otherwise you’re not going to last.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
A sharp, reliable knife.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Any type of seafood.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À La Carte.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
The Louis XV - Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris Monaco. It was out of this world, you can’t forget it.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
Tonkotsu.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Omelette.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
Great British Menu.
What’s the most overrated food?
Caviar.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Idiots that come only to annoy staff… Stay at home!
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
My great grandmother Avō Alice, the woman who gave passion in my life. Also Martin Luther King, Sade Adu, George Michael, and Queen Elizabeth II.
What’s your earliest food memory?
Moamba, an Angolan chicken dish.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
When I had a tumour on my liver at 15.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Are you kidding me, I am chef! There’s no time for anything like that. But Barcelona is one of my favourite cities to party.
What’s your tipple of choice?
Champagne, darling!
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
Chargrilled carabinero prawns with Pacifico beer.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
Moqueca Brazilian fish stew from Bahia.