Brian Clivaz

Brian Clivaz, managing director, Simpson's-in-the-Strand, London, reveals all

1. What was your best subject at school?

History and maths

2. What was your first job?

Assistant in a second-hand bookshop

3. What was your first job in catering?

Apprentice chef at The Dorchester

4. What do you normally have for breakfast?

Three double espressos

5. What do you do to relax?

Take the dog for a walk

6. Which is your favourite restaurant?

Brasserie St Quentin, Knightsbridge

7 What is your favourite drink?

Diet Coke

8. What ingredient do you hate the most?

Pimentos

9. What do you always carry with you?

Comb, lighter, Remanco key

10. How would you best describe your desk?

Utter chaos

11. Which people in catering have you most admired?

Three - Peter Stafford, Walter Sommer, and Anton Mosimann

12. Which person has given you the greatest inspiration?

King Hussein of Jordan - "On the Day of Judgement we are all equal"

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

An inexhaustible supply of Monte Cristo No 2 cigars and a means to light them

14. What daily newspapers do you read?

The Times, The Daily Telegraph, London's Evening Standard

15. If not yourself, who would you rather had been?

Leonardo da Vinci

16. If you hadn't gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

The Old Bailey - on the right side of the dock!

17. Describe your ultimate nightmare

A banquet for 120 teetotal vegetarians at Simpson's-in-the-Strand

18. Where and when was your last holiday?

Holidays are a luxury I don't indulge in

19. Tell us a secret…

I can eat a packet of Pringles in one go

20. What irritates you most about hotels?

Unfriendly or unhelpful staff

21. When was the last time you had a hamburger?

Last night during the late night jazz session at Simpson's-in-the-Strand