My Mum was the main reason why I became a chef. She influenced all of my family to feel free in the kitchen - it was the centre of our home and I have wonderful memories of helping Mum cook and experiencing the love and patience that went into the food.
There have been times when, as a chef, I've bawled at staff because something's not quite right. But later I'd reflect and feel guilty.
I studied music at school and played the recorder. Later in life music was a great way of supplementing my income because I was paid really badly as a young chef. Luckily an old friend - we did music at school together - and I formed a duo, The Calypso Beat, which later became the Calypso Twins.
My mum wanted me to be a doctor because she worked in nursing. So she was quite disappointed when I came back from a holiday in France, and said I wanted to be a chef.
Performing has always been instinctive to me. I remember people saying, 'he doesn't know if he's a chef or an entertainer.' But what's wrong with being both? It's like saying you can't run the 100 and the 200 metres.
I'm a normal guy. I'm not a chef.
TV is a deformed vision, an excessive caricature. A chef has to stay an artisan, not become a star.
I'm surprised by the talent I find all over. There are always new chefs who propose many interesting new ideas, new ways of looking at ingredients.
The real evolution is to learn something new every day - it's very important for chefs to share what they have discovered.
There are so many impassioned winemakers. I think there are more impassioned winemakers than chefs.
