Revelations: Yousuf Mohammed, head chef, Tsaretta Spice, Twickenham

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Yousuf Mohammed, head chef, Tsaretta Spice, Twickenham

What was your best subject at school?

I was very fond of physics. I liked experimenting, which has helped me in the kitchen

What was your first job?

A sales executive at a private firm

What was your first job in catering?

I was a trainee chef with my father

What do you normally have for breakfast?

Boiled or scrambled eggs with brown bread and a hot cup of tea

What do you do to relax?

Read

Which is your favourite restaurant?

I love Bombay Brasserie

What’s your favourite hotel?

I find the Taj Group of hotels very exciting, the royalty served there amazes me

What is your favourite drink?

Fresh lime soda. All-time favourite

What is your favourite cuisine?

I love French delicacies

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

Being a chef I love spices, but star anise has a very strong flavour which can be hit or miss

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

I try to avoid frozen food

Which person in catering have you most admired?

Chef Vineet Bhatia

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

My father

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

I would be a panda who sleeps the whole day and still everyone would love me

Tell us a secret...

I am scared of cats

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

Maybe a software engineer

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

That I couldn’t attend my mother’s funeral because of Covid

What’s your favourite film?

Titanic is one I can watch again and again

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

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan –I love his acting

What’s your favourite book?

I Too Had A Love Story by Ravinder Singh

If you had more time, what would you do?

I would have relaxed more and gone on a world tour