It's Difficult to Explain

Everyone always asks is a top kitchen as bad as they make it look on the TV, and this week once again the spotlight is on the personalities, and pressure of top chef's and their desire to succeed.

I've worked in at least 10 Michelin Star restaurants over a very fairly long career and there is a very brutal culture within all good kitchen's due to the pressure of getting exceptional food out on time.

It's a combination of creative and physical energy that can manifest itself into something that to the outside world can look like cruel bullying or unnecessary shouting. It's part culture, part necessity as the second by second timing is vital to create the perfect dish that may have taken all day to prepare.

All that said, at the end of service the bond and friendships created are 2nd to none, and I'm proud to have worked for and with so many inspiring people that are now life-long friends.

For the 1st time in nearly 20 years, I've decided to come out of the traditional kitchen, and created something new and special which gives every day people the ability to work with top chefs to create every day meals. I don't shout at the customers now like I use to, but I still do at my outstanding Sous chef Claudio (it's a cultural thing).

The question the Guardian asked was were we all Diva's? We're not, just hard working creative people who are exceptionally passionate about what we do.