Chef revelations: Mussa Fatti, executive chef, the Ned, London

What was your best subject at school?

 

Sports, science and history

 

What was your first job?

 

On a building site when I was 15 years old, helping my uncle

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

As a kitchen porter back in Lisbon

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Porridge, honey, banana and cinnamon, or just coffee

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Gymkhana, Black Axe Mangal, Kricket and Lyle’s

 

What is your favourite hotel?

 

Dreams Macao Beach in the Dominican Republic and Penha Longa in Lisbon, Portugal

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

Coca-Cola Cherry

 

What is your favourite cuisine?

 

Indian, Thai and West African (especially Senegal)

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Food additives – food must be organic for good gut health

 

What flavour combinations do you detest?

 

Sweet potato and cinnamon

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Gordon Ramsay

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My grandad

 

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

 

I would be in music. I was a DJ and music producer in my younger days

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

Scarface and The Shawshank Redemption

 

What’s your favourite book?

 

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

 

What is your favourite prepared product?

 

I love tinned sardines, but they have to be very good-quality Spanish or Portuguese. I love tinned corned beef too

 

Who would be in your “fantasy” brigade?

 

Gordon Ramsay leading the kitchen, with Kerth Gumbs, Kareem Roberts (Trinity), Lee Kebble (the Ned), William Chilila (Chale) and Dieuveil Malonga (Meza Malonga Kigali, Rwanda)

 

If you had more time, what would you do?

 

Travel the world with my beautiful wife and daughter