Chef Revelations – Mark Dancer
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
What's your favourite hotel?
Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Weetabix and fruit
What was your first job?
I worked in my father's factory to earn money for college
What was your first job in catering?
I was the commis chef for the Spinney Club in Wolverhampton
What is your favourite drink?
Vodka and coke
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
My Mum's Sunday roast - traditional and always cooked to perfection
What do you do to relax?
Go for long walks with my family
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Tofu - it doesn't add any flavour to the food
What flavour combinations do you detest?
If used in the right way, I think many flavour combinations can work. Often, people's perceptions when reading an item on the menu puts them off
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I've never really given it a thought as this is all I ever wanted to do
What do you always carry with you?
A picture of my daughter
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Alain Ducasse
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
My late father. He persuaded my secondary school to let me do home economics, which was then a girls-only subject, allowing me to follow my dream of becoming a chef
What's your favourite film?
The Shawshank Redemption
What's your favourite book?
Grand Livre de Cuisine by Alain Ducasse
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
My iPod
What daily newspaper/website do you read?
I tend to only watch the news
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Graham Kerr, the first real TV chef
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I've never really given it a thought as this is all I ever wanted to do
Describe your ultimate nightmare?
Late deliveries
Tell us a secret…
I could kick a football as soon as I could walk. My family hoped I would play for Wolves one day and given their present situation, I probably still could!
Mark Dancer, executive chef, Park Plaza County Hall, London
