Some cook a quick meal, which is often not too healthy. Others go for a frozen pizza. For me, though, cooking is more than a process to stuff the stomach. It feels more like meditation and creation. I do it to calm down and boost my ego. Because, whatever went wrong during the day, I’m always 98 percent sure I won’t fail in the kitchen.

It may sound arrogant, but I’m not afraid to say that I’m a rather good chef. And I love to cook. Even when I’m beat. I love to cook for myself, but what I really love is cooking for others. It fascinates me to see people’s faces change when their taste buds register combinations of saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, basil, meat, cheese, sugar, salt… Their faces when they relax and enjoy. Their faces when they ask for a little extra.

While cooking I try to predict what the experience will be like for my guests, and I try to surprise them with that. I want them to feel something they haven’t felt before, with every bite. Something new, exciting and memorable. This is why I have an impressive circle of fans who invite me for dinner at their place. Except they’re not the ones cooking, it’s me. And I love it.

So if you ask me what makes a good chef, I’d probably say it’s the same thing that makes a good composer. A person creating music hears it in his head before they write it down. A good chef ‘feels’ the taste of their food before it’s done. The ingredients, spices and combinations are in their head even before they start cooking.

I like to be a composer of food. So for me cooking, even at the end of a rough day, is inspiring, soothing, relaxing, and it prepares me for a new morning and a fresh start.