Chef revelations: Perry Torrance, senior chef de partie, Akoko, London

What was your first job?

 

As a commis chef working on a catering team for Greek weddings

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Weetabix with blueberries and cold milk

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Oklava in London’s Shoreditch is a favourite of mine – full-on flavour. Outside of the UK, Lucas Carton in Paris

 

What do you do to relax?

 

Listening to music and taking long walks or bike rides

 

What is your favourite food/cuisine?

 

Spanish food

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

Mount Gay XO, on the rocks

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Tinned tuna

 

What flavour combinations do you detest?

 

Pork or ham with melon

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Chef Jason Howard

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My mum and her work ethic

 

Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?

 

Bottled water, lots of it!

 

What daily newspaper/website do you read?

 

El País

 

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

 

A professional basketball player

 

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

 

Being slowly constricted and eaten alive by snakes

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

The perception that working until you can barely keep your eyes open is the way to prove dedication and progress. A well-rested brigade is always more creative and motivated; it shows in the food and the restaurant