Chef revelations: Sean Wrest, head chef, Roots York

What was your best subject at school?

 

History

 

What was your first job?

 

I was a KP at the Three Horseshoes pub in Wensleydale

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

It’s a bit boring, but a banana and a vitamin drink

 

What do you do to relax?

 

Living in Yorkshire, I love to go for walks around the countryside, to read and have the odd Guinness or two

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

House of Tides in Newcastle. It’s like having a Michelin-starred meal and fine wine with your family!

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Gilpin Lodge in the Lake District – what a beautiful place

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

As a proud Yorkshireman, you can’t beat a cold pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord

 

What is your favourite food/cuisine?

 

Definitely Scandinavian. I love their use of ferments and preserves, it plays a huge role in our cooking at Roots

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Tinned sweetcorn

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Thomas Keller

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My parents, my sister Jade and my partner Sam. Without their support none of my career progression would have been possible

 

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

 

I’m not sure, but growing up I always wanted to be a detective

 

Tell us a secret...

 

I am obsessed with peanut M&Ms, a share bag is definitely not suitable for sharing

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

No-shows

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

The Shawshank Redemption

 

Who would play “you” in a film about your life?

 

Ryan Gosling. We are practically identical twins, right?

 

Who would be in your “fantasy” brigade?

 

Clare Smyth, Jake Siddle from the House of Tides, Sat Bains, Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, and Jonathan Hawthorne of Vice & Virtue, and Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park

 

Photo credit Andrew Hayes-Watkins