I did not! I didn’t really have a clue what I wanted to do as a kid. My journey as a chef actually started after school. I wasn’t sure what path I wanted to take and wanted to earn a bit of cash, as you do, so a few mates and I started doing a bit of street food. I guess that’s what planted the initial seeds.

Probably baking with my mum. She’s a great baker, and we used to bake all sorts of stuff, but I’d say our signature was definitely banana chocolate chip muffins. They never lasted for very long which I guess is always a good sign.

I started working at Bao, which had just opened at the time, learning all of the basics for the first time. It was a great first introduction to a kitchen, seeing how everything operated on a day-to-day basis and getting a feel for different cooking techniques. The style of food taught me a lot of different skills, but to be honest it was great to be surrounded by people who all cared about food.

To slow down and think about things; I was always tearing around trying to get too much done before that. Also the importance of a good team, most of my closest friends and my wife are from my Petersham days. It sounds obvious but a good team really is the most important part of a successful restaurant and growing with the team at Petersham while working across lots of different sections was such a formative stage of my career.

It was great – lots of fun and because it was small we ended up doing a bit of everything. It was always super busy but the food and service were always excellent. It’s always disappointing to see a great restaurant close and not reopen, but I definitely don’t want to look back because everything leads to new opportunities.

I wouldn’t describe it as stressful – if anything it encourages creativity and gives you a chance to think on your feet. Focusing on seasonality and British produce was a challenge, especially in the winter months when we don’t see great yields of produce, but it meant I had to put everything I’d learnt into practice. It kept things interesting for me to try and create a menu that was refined for evening service but also affordable and accessible in the daytime for diners coming into the gallery. It’s challenges like that that remind me why I decided to work as a chef in the first place.

I was ready for a bit of a change and the challenge of going back into a larger kitchen and restaurant again. I liked the style of food at Toklas and how produce-driven the menus are. It’s all about moving with the seasons and really making the natural flavour profiles and aromas of different ingredients shine through.

The building is also beautiful. It’s definitely a perk that I get to cook in such an amazing space and for lots of interesting characters from the art and fashion industries too. I can’t wait for the summer terrace to be in full swing later this year – it comes alive in the late sunset with Aperols and beautiful grilled fish all eaten outside.

I don’t like to overcomplicate it, I think there are four aspects you really have to take into account as a chef to create a successful menu: suppliers, customers, the weather, and seasonality. If these four things are respected and not ignored, your menu kind of makes itself.

I love to cook with asparagus, peas and wild garlic – they really capture the flavour of this time of year and come with a sense of relief that warmer months are on their way. They are always a welcome addition to the menu, offering a nice pop of colour and really marking the changing of the seasons.

That’s a hard one. I’d say at the moment it’s the grilled artichokes with cocoa beans, yellow datterini and salmoriglio. It’s such a simple plate of food, but it’s also so fresh and colourful and really pays testament to the less is more ethos of cooking that I definitely try to abide by.

Rochelle Canteen. I’ve spent many an extended summer afternoon sitting in the sunny courtyard enjoying the dishes Margot [Henderson] has created. I think that she has a great ethos around food, one which I have tried to adopt in my own career as a chef – creating food that is simple, delicious and well priced for what it is.

I have a lot of respect for what Lewis de Haas can create from such a small kitchen at Crispin. Every time I eat there it ticks all the boxes of great atmosphere, incredible pours and a stellar changing menu that always has me checking when I can come back next.