Revelations: Gerard Chouet, head pastry chef, Fairmont St Andrews

What was your best subject at school?
I really enjoyed history

 

What was your first job?
I was a bellman in a local hotel

 

What was your first job in catering?
At the age of 19, I left school to do a professional apprenticeship in a pastry shop in Burgundy, France

 

What do you do to relax?
Hill walking and climbing

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?
French baguette, cheese and coffee

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?
Pierre Hermé and Antonio Bachour

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
My mother has been my biggest influence in becoming a chef. She is an incredible cook, and I learned from a very young age about ingredients, tasting and baking

 

What is your favourite drink?
Mojito

 

What is your favourite cuisine?
Asian

 

Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
Can I have three? Chocolate (of course), cheese (I am French, after all) and almonds

 

What daily newspaper/ website do you read?
I use social media to catch up with news and events

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
A teacher

 

When and where was your last holiday?
Two years ago in Vietnam

 

What's your favourite film?
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

 

What is your favourite prepared product?
Bread

 

If you had more time, what would you do?
I would travel more