Revelations: Shuli Wimer, executive chef, the Fancy Fork by Farmer J, City of London

What was your best subject at school?

 

Music. It was the only class I went to in high school

 

What was your first job?

 

It was as a chef. I moved from the north of Israel to Tel Aviv and cooking seemed like something I would enjoy. I never thought that I would still be doing it 14 years later

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

I normally skip straight to lunch, but when I do have breakfast it’s the classic Israeli breakfast of eggs, salad, cheese, tahini and bread. There’s nothing like it

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

The River Café. It’s the most significant job I have had, the food is amazing and it feels like home

 

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

La Residencia in Tarifa, Spain

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

A Negroni

 

What is your favourite cuisine?

 

Israeli and Mediterranean. It is based around freshness, seasonality and simplicity. It’s the ultimate comfort food

 

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?

 

Quinoa, I think it is the most boring of seeds

 

What flavour combinations do you detest?

 

Chips/crisps with vinegar

 

 

What do you always carry with you?

 

A small sachet of salt, just in case I come across a quinoa salad

 

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

 

A carpenter. It involves the things I love: engineering, symmetry, maths and creating things with my hands

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

I admire any woman who leads a kitchen

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My wife. She taught me to dream bigger, to think of the person who would eat my food, to be brave and creative and listen to my gut. She’s not just my wife, she is my food partner for life

 

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

 

Sandra Bullock. I had a crush on her as a teen

 

 

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

 

Being on a diet

 

What is your favourite prepared product?

 

Häagen-Dazs strawberry cheesecake ice-cream

 

 

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