I was born in the '60s and grew up in the '70s - not exactly the best decade for food in British history. It was horrendous. It was a time when as a nation we excelled in art and music and acting and photography and fashion - all creative skills... all apart from cooking.
My late wife Olympia was Goan and I've been to India many times. I love the food there. We used to do our shopping in Southall where you can find cheap but wonderful fruit like mangoes vegetables and spices. I didn't do much of the cooking as Olympia did a lot - I was the under-chef and did some of the chopping.
A lot of people think Japanese food is difficult a lot of work. But you don't have to buy the knife I have. You don't have to train as long as I have. You can do my cooking in your kitchen.
I love home cooking and I'm not a great one for fast food.
I wasn't passionate about food until I'd been cooking for a while. I started long before food became part of the mainstream media. I just wanted to cook period.
I like to abide by the seasons and let the natural flavor in food speak for itself. I use quick cooking techniques of high heat with very little fat such as quick saute or wok stir-frying.
I think people are more savvy about cooking food and dining. I notice they are looking for more value for their money - not in larger portions but more in terms of healthier fresh farm-to-table dishes with a nice presentation.
I think the biggest thing is clean as you go. Wash all your knives cutting boards dishes when you are done cooking not look at a sink full of dishes after you are done. Cleaning as you go helps keep away cross contamination and you avoid having food borne bacteria.
My Mom always cooked healthy. Greek food lends itself to cooking healthy.
I wake up every morning happy for where I am in life. It's not all about the cooking but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country. In the last two years my partners and I have fed more than 10 million hungry people by bringing meat to food banks.