1. Should judges on TV shows be nicer after what happened on X Factor?
I was always honest and direct with contestants but I never wanted to be cruel. You have to respect the fact they're putting in a lot of effort. God, I'd never do it. What a horror show - just awful - the poor things. It's about respect. You should give them all the information so they can work things out in their own minds. The show has to be entertaining too, so you've got to select people really carefully.
2. Are all cooks control freaks?
My family think I am. It drives them nuts. I think mostly in the kitchen, but they think everywhere in the entire universe. I know I'm critical. I try to calm it down but it's frightening some of the things people who aren't trained like me do in a kitchen. If they work differently from me, I leave the room. The most annoying thing someone can do in the kitchen is whistle. It drives you crazy.
3. Have you gone paleo yet?
The paleo diet is hysterically funny. Why do people do it? There are too many stupid diets. Look, it's food, you're meant to enjoy it. If you want to lose weight, don't eat so much. We're hardwired to enjoy food. That's why we like cooking shows. It's like hanging around the kitchen - a lot of people don't get to do that anymore. I think we worry too much about food being healthy. People have been living for centuries getting excellent nutrition from real food. Not food with additives, not processed food, just real food. Tip all those vitamin pills down the toilet. Honestly, just get some exercise, be moderate. Sit down to eat at the table, make eye contact. My job involves a lot of tasting but you don't need to chow down on a whole plate of it. I get up early and walk for an hour each morning. Food is so much more than fuel. I lectured at AUT University in gastronomy, which is all about the sociology, anthropology and history of food. It's really interesting.
4. Can you recall an early food memory?
I remember hearing my grandfather asking my grandmother what she thought about a tomato he'd grown in their garden in Matamata. She said, "It's very good but it's a little bit acidic". She was Italian and Italians have very firm ideas of what things should taste like. I remember registering that food was something to take seriously.
5. When did you think food might be a career?
While I was studying history at university, I got a part-time job in a restaurant called La Boheme. I met my partner Jenny at that time. She and a friend opened a French restaurant with me as a chef. So we did that while I finished my masters thesis. We had a bust-up with the partner and then I worked in a few good restaurants like Clichy. I don't really have any other interests apart from food. I'm a little bit obsessed, in the nicest possible way.
