Chef revelations: Mark Freeman head chef, Grey restaurant, Hilton Cardiff
What was your first job?
Trainee/commis chef at the Park hotel, Cardiff. I owe a lot to the late Ian Jack, the executive chef who gave me a chance.
What do you do to relax?
Eat out and watch Cardiff City FC
What's your favourite restaurant?
Pollen Street Social, London
What's your favourite hotel?
Hotel du Vin; I've stayed in a few
What's your favourite cuisine?
Indian food
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Blue cheese
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Cheap frozen meat that's full of water
What's your favourite drink?
Heineken or a G&T
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Roasted meats with fruit sauces
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Marco Pierre White
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
My father to make me succeed at what I wanted to do with my life
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Chris Coleman during Euro 2016
Tell us a secret…
I was a late 1980s/early 1990s raver and still go to dance music festivals
What irritates you most about the industry?
Young chefs who aren't prepared to put in the hard work to reap the rewards in years to come
Who would play you in a film about your life?
Ray Winstone
What's your favourite book?
White Heat
What is your favourite prepared product?
Welsh faggots
Who would be in your fantasy brigade?
Keith Clash (head chef, the Exchange hotel, Cardiff); Kieran Harry (business development chef, Bar Foods, Newport); Ifan Dunn (chef-proprietor, Bwyty Mawddach restaurant, Dolgellau; Padrig Jones (somewhere in South Wales); Peter Mannings (chief steward, Park Plaza hotel, Cardiff)
If you had more time, what would you do?
Spend more time with my wife Grace and my kids Ami and Charly