Chef revelations: Sam Smith, head chef, Caffè Rojano, Padstow, Cornwall

What was your best subject at school?

 

PE. I loved football and hockey, which I played competitively, as well as snowboarding and golf

 

What was your first job?

 

At B&Q when I was 16, where I was responsible for custom-mixing paint

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

I did ski seasons in St Anton and my first job in catering was in an après ski bar owned by an Olympic gold medallist, Krazy Kanguruh. It was a great experience

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

A cappuccino. But nothing beats a bacon bap with a ketchup and brown sauce mix. I know that there are people going to question that, but trust me, it works

 

What do you do to relax?

 

I’m a keen carp fisherman, and I have a daughter and we love going for days out to the beach as a family with our little dog

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

A very special place to me and my wife Kate is the Stepping Stone in Wadebridge and it’s where I proposed. That said, where I work really is my favourite place

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Oxalys in Val Thorens. You can literally snowboard out of the front door to the lift, and there’s a Michelin-starred restaurant

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

My favourite pint is an Offshore pilsner from Sharp’s Brewery, but a negroni is my favourite cocktail

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

I know he is my boss, but it has to be Paul Ainsworth

 

What daily newspaper/website do you read?

 

I regularly check TripAdvisor to see feedback from our guests, and I see what other chefs are doing on Instagram

 

Tell us a secret...

 

I won a crowd dancing competition at Reading Festival when I was 19 and I won backstage tickets

 

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

 

My family and a pot of tea that never runs out

 

What is your favourite prepared product?

 

Beautiful anchovies from Spain

 

What’s your favourite book?

 

Daniel Clifford’s Out Of My Tree. It was incredible to read about his journey