Chef revelations: Raphaël Grima, chef, Les 110 de Taillevent

What was your best subject at school?
Geography, by far. Travelling and discovering new places and people has always fascinated me

What was your first job in catering?
I was an apprentice in a kitchen

What do you normally have for breakfast?
Latte and pain au chocolat

What do you do to relax?
Sport

Which is your favourite restaurant?
I couldn't give you just one, but I would love to try Alinea in Chicago. It is the first on a long list of restaurants I am aiming try

What's your favourite hotel?
Les Crayères, Relais & Chateux hotel in the heart of Champagne. It's a magical place. I saw one of the most fabulous sunsets while I was there, which I will never forget

What is your favourite drink?
Bloody Mary

What is your favourite cuisine?
French and Japanese

What flavour combinations do you detest?
I don't quite get mint and chocolate, but I am working on it

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
For technique, Gérard Besson; for Asiatic influence, Roland Durand; for precision, Nicolas Beaumann and Michel Rostang; and for traditional French cuisine, Alain Solivérès and Emile Cotte

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Zinedine Zidane

What daily newspaper/website do you read?
Le Monde

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

What irritates you most about the industry?
It can be hard to get time off

What's your favourite film?
12 Angry Men

What's your favourite book?
1984

If you had more time, what would you do?
I would go fishing and then cook for a dozen friends on the beach on an island

What is your favourite prepared product?
Sushi