What's cooking: Stephen Roberts

Stephen Roberts has worked at some top spots. Picture / Babiche Martens

Stephen Roberts has been around. The executive chef has worked in the kitchens of the Hunting Lodge, Hotel du Vin, Sileni Estate and the Spencer on Byron Hotel, where he led his team to win gold in the Restaurant of the Year in 2003. He's well-qualified for his latest role as resident chef at the cooking school at the new gourmet food market Nosh, where he'll be doing everything from one-hour meal solutions through to two-hour full dining classes and one-on-one training.

What inspired you to start cooking?

When I was young, I spent many afternoons with my grandmother. She made almost everything she could for a family meal at home. So I was always given the peeling tasks, and worked my way up to chopping. Then, when I was worthy enough, the really interesting stuff like baking.

What do you always have in your fridge and kitchen cupboard?

Apart from beer and baked beans, I guess I'm blessed as my wife is Japanese and we always have fresh seafood in the fridge, along with my basil pesto. And I love all types of pasta, so the pantry cupboard tends to be well stocked with all types of pastas, and some good oils. But, occasionally, those beers also find their way in, along with a good bottle of wine.

What's your favourite utensil?

This would have to be my little microplanes and grater. They are absolutely great for grating fresh parmesan over salads or for grating fresh nutmeg over the saucepan to finish sauces and dressings and so on.

Your favourite restaurant and why?

Tetsuya's in Sydney. I think that what he does by creating a menu on the day from what he has purchased himself, and not actually putting it into printed form, so that when you arrive at the restaurant for the evening you are totally in the chef's hands and the degustation menu that follows is a constant surprise is an exciting way to have a different and enjoyable dining experience.

Your favourite bar?

A little bar from my time living in Japan called Fuliyama Mamma. It is tucked away on the first floor in a building in a city called Kokura. It is owned by a young man (well he was young then) called Ken, and he loved everything from the American rock'n'roll years - the 50s and early 60s - so this bar was decked out with old rock'n'roll memories from that era and even had a small DJ box built in where he would play his favourite 45s and would announce the tequila happy hour every hour, on the hour, and give everyone a free shot. It was a neat, fun place to be.

What is your favourite cookbook?

Without a doubt Thomas Keller's The French Laundry cookbook. But, hey, you never know, in the future it may be the Nosh gourmet cookbook.

Who would you most like to cook dinner for?

All my family together at the same time.

Who would you most like to have cook dinner for you?

That would have to be Tetsuya Wakuda surprising me with a menu degustation in my own home, followed by a good conversation on food.