Chef Revelations – Imthiaz Kader
What was your best subject at school? Accountancy, which has certainly surprised many of my suppliers
What was your first job? Working with my grandfather when I was 13 for his outside catering business in South Africa
What was your first catering job? I was the specialist chef for South African Airlines, for dietary requirements
What do you normally have for breakfast? A fantastic protein, milk, berries and banana shake that my pastry chef - who is also a nutritionalist - gave me the recipe for. It took a while to get used to at first, but it really gives me a kick-start
What do you do to relax? When not at work I love to spend time with my two children and be a dad rather than a head chef
What is your favourite drink? Virgin mojito
What is your favourite food/cuisine? Definitely Asian cuisine. I am still inspired by Chinese and Indian cooking from my childhood in South Africa
What do you always carry with you? Saffron
Which person in catering have you most admired? Joël Antunès. He was the reason that I took my current job and I still can't believe he is on the pass for every service
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration? My grandfather. His mantra was that cooking should always come from the heart
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take? They wouldn't be considered as luxuries anywhere else - however, I'm a chef, so definitely a knife and a match
If not yourself, who would you rather have been? No question, my father
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now? I'm pretty sure I'd be in the military
Describe your ultimate nightmare If I was cooking for my peers and the food was held up in traffic
What irritates you most about the industry? There are a lot of big personalities, which means there is often too much politics
When did you last eat a hamburger? Last month at a barbecue at home. I taught my kids my secret recipe
What's your favourite film?The Fast and the Furious for its fast cars and amazing stunts
What's your favourite book? It's not exactly bedtime reading: Charlie Trotter's Seafood
Imthiaz Kader is head chef at the Park Plaza hotel
