Trotter tells young chefs to devote themselves to work

During the masterclass demonstration, which took place in the afternoon, leading US chef Charlie Trotter demonstrated the starter dish that he later cooked for 421 diners at the Chef Conference dinner - sea scallops with soya beans, ginger, hijiki and braised pig's tail.

On stage with recently promoted three-Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay, who compered the session, Trotter gave delegates an insight into his philosophy as a chef.

"You get what you give," he said. "At 22 or 25 you've got the whole of your life ahead of you. It's all about giving yourself totally to your work. You have to be prepared to sacrifice four to five years of your personal life. That's how I began. I wanted to contribute, I wanted to learn, I wanted to touch the food. Giving four to five years early in your career will multiply ten-fold later in life."

Ramsay echoed Trotter's sentiments and said: "You have to submerge yourself for the first five to six years of your kitchen life. It's almost an obsession - you have to be very selfish."

Trotter, well known for his passion for produce, told delegates: "The number one question for any chef is: what lengths are you prepared to go to to get a good product? It's not about luxury items - they are just gilding the lily - it's about careful sourcing of everyday ingredients."

Trotter said he was aware many chefs were governed by purchasing managers when sourcing ingredients, but he felt it was important for chefs to work closer to their source. "We work with fishermen, farmers and growers and commit to their harvest. It's all about the product, it's all about working with the stewards of the land - they do it for love. We even have suppliers who won't sell their product to restaurants if they don't think they deserve to have it."

As he gave away 10 copies of his books to the 10 best questions asked at the conference, Trotter said he planned to double the size of his kitchen in Chicago later this year at a cost of $1.5m (£1m).

He also confirmed he was hoping to open a site in London by the end of the year (rumoured to be in collaboration with Aramark) and that his chef de cuisine, Guillermo Tellez, would relocate to Britain to run the kitchen. "A lot of my clients are from London," said Trotter. "It would be a wonderful opportunity."

When asked how cooking in London compared with Chicago, Trotter said: "The only complaint I have is that you've got to break away from the French thing. You've got so many talented young chefs - they need to take a chance."