‘I love Jalebi’

What do you look for in a potential Master Chef?

We look for integrity, care, and passion to succeed in life. A MasterChef winner should be good at what he/she does and leave it as a legacy. That means more than just wanting to be on television because if they want to be on telly they can but may be in another reality show than MasterChef.

Your idea of a perfect dish?

Food for me is my life. It is who I am. It is everything, nothing else but all me. I love food. It’s my passion, and as for the perfect dish — it is simple — one has to know how to use the best produce.

Have you tried Indian cuisine?

I love jalebi. I love it. It is sweet, syrupy, crispy and simply wonderful. I made it when I was in India. I was taught how to make it and I think it’s wonderful.

It’s been said to never trust a skinny chef and you’ve gone ahead and lost 20 kg. Why and how do you maintain yourself?

Now I have kids. I want to be around for a long time, be able to run and kick a ball with them. So it’s just jalopy. More than anything I am probably eating more fruit then I have ever eaten. But I am very conscious about how I eat, when I eat and what I eat. I want to be around for a long time.

Is Greek cuisine still your favourite?

Of course. It’s in my DNA. I grew up with it. It’s who I am. It’s my parents. It’s my family. It’s my life. That means it is very, very, very important.