Chef Revelations – Franco Bellomusto

What was your first job?
From the age of 10 to 13, I spent my school holidays working in a restaurant at a local coach station in Calabria, Southern Italy

Which is your favourite restaurant?
Marco Pierre White's Wheeler's of St James's restaurant in London

Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Kidneys

What do you always carry with you?
My glasses, cigarettes and the gold chain my mother gave me when I emigrated to England

When did you last eat a hamburger?
17 years ago

Which person in catering have you most admired?
Gualtiero Marchesi - the ltalian chef who use of gold leaf in dishes has been widely immitated

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Anything frozen

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
My mother. She had seven children and cooked fresh food for us every day.

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
A pilot. I used to parachute when I was in the army.

When and where was your last holiday?
In October I went to my home village of Fagnano Castello near Naples for the Chestnut Festival

Who would play you in a film about your life?
Marcello Mastroianni

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Carlo di Stefano - my boss, and the most successful, passionate businessman I know

If you had more time, what would you do?
Travel

What irritates you most about the industry?
People who open so-called ‘Italian' restaurants without any knowledge or experience of real Italian cooking

Franco Bellomusto, executive chef, San Carlo Group