Revelations: Francesco Mannino, executive pastry chef, Pan Pacific London

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Francesco Mannino, executive pastry chef at Pan Pacific London

 

What was your best subject at school?

 

Italian literature

 

What was your first job?

 

As a caddie at a golf club

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

A pastry chef in a fish restaurant (when I wasn’t busy, I fried fish and chips)

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Cereal with oatmilk or scrambled eggs on sourdough with avocado

 

What do you do to relax?

 

Deep breathing exercises and cold showers

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Hakkasan (the original in Hanway Place in London) and Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Pan Pacific London, of course

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

I love a Negroni

 

What is your favourite cuisine?

 

Asian and Italian cuisine

 

Which ingredientdo you hate the most?

 

Pineapple on pizza

 

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

 

Durian. I was asked to make a durian cake for a wedding and there was a horrible smell in the kitchen all day

 

What do you always carry with you?

 

My good sense of humour

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Pierre Hermé is one of the fathers of modern pâtisserie. He reinvented macarons and created flavour combinations such as ispahan (raspberry, rose and lychee). What’s more, he invented the delicious 2000 feuille, which is a millefeuille with the addition of crunchy praline feuillatine

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

Probably my grandmother, as my earliest culinary memories are of her and she taught me lots of tricks and treats

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

Arrogance

 

What’s your favourite book?

 

I think I’d have to say my own cookbook Modern Italian Desserts, as I’m really proud of it