Chef revelations – Simon Young, executive chef, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London
What was your first job in catering?
Commis chef for the summer season at Glyndebourne opera
What do you do to relax? Ride my Triumph Daytona
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
What's your favourite drink? Stella Artois
What's your favourite cuisine? My wife Lorraine's cooking!
Which person in catering have you most admired? Raymond Blanc
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration? Alan Garth for cooking and Willi Elsener for organisation
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, Margaret Thatcher and Bill Clinton
Tell us a secret… I found an eight-hour-old baby abandoned in a telephone box
If you had not 
gone into catering, where do you 
think you'd be now? I always wanted to be a fireman
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take? Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle
Describe your ultimate nightmare Not having my amazing team around me
What irritates you most about the industry? The reputation the industry has for long hours and poor pay
What's your favourite book? Pierre Koffmann's Memories of Gascony
What flavour combinations do you detest? Blue cheese in desserts
Who would be in your fantasy brigade? Warren Geraghty on canapés (Galvin restaurants executive chef); Ian Rudge on cold starters (my head chef in the Rib Room); Eric Chavot on hot starters (Brasserie Chavot); Charlie Trotter on mains (travelling around the world somewhere); Paul Gayler on vegetables (the Lanesborough); Claude La Marche on desserts (the Arts Club)
What is your 
favourite prepared 
food product? Sunpat peanut butter
If you had more time, what would you do? Get a dog
