Revelations: MasterChef: The Professional's Bart Van der Lee

What was your best subject at school?

 

History

 

What was your first job?

 

Planting chrysanthemum seedlings in a greenhouse aged 14

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

A steward in a café near my hometown, Zuilichem in the Netherlands, at 15 years old

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Fruit and nut cereals on weekdays, fried eggs, bacon and cheese at the weekend

 

What do you do to relax?

 

Go to the forest with my wife and kids – it is our escape from the hectic lifestyle we live

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Noma in Copenhagen

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Amanyara, Turks & Caicos Islands

 

Which ingredient do you hate?

 

Mastiha, a Greek tree sap used for drinks or sweets. I got into a massive fight with it during MasterChef practice and it’s still stuck to most of the kitchen utensils

 

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?

 

Not really, I’ve tried pretty much everything, from balls to brains

 

What do you always carry with you?

 

Phone, wallet, tweezers

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Toine Hermsen, I have looked up to him from the day I walked into his kitchen

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

Genghis Khan

 

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

 

Some far away country making something with my hands

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

The Boondock Saints

 

What’s your favourite book?

 

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

 

What is your favourite prepared product?

 

Bossche bol, it’s a massive Dutch profiterole

 

If you had more time, what would you do?

 

Pottery or knife making