Rafel Sammut

1. Tell us about your educational background and your work experience to date.

After completing 11 years at St Edwards College, I moved on to Millfield School in Somerset, UK where I secured my A-levels in business, economics and geography. After this I went onto a university course in business development, but within the first few months I realised that the studying days were no longer for me. I dropped out, and my kitchen career began. After 2 years of working, I moved to Italy. There I completed a course in modern Italian cuisine. I worked in Italy for about 2 years before returning to Malta.

2. Why are you so passionate about being a Chef?

I was brought up around food. My father being a restaurateur always taught us the basics, precisely investing time, appreciating ingredients and all the basics to good cooking.

3. Mention five words to describe yourself and your work ethic.

Passionate, patient, ambitious, fair, energetic.

4. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

This is a hard question to answer, we live in a very fast changing world and opportunity is endless.

5. Can you mention Chefs who have inspired you? What do you admire most about them?

The late Enrico Bertollini – my first Chef in Italy, we couldn’t communicate because we didn’t speak each other’s language but we still made a great team. He showed me how to live hospitality, not work it. He also gave me very strong fundamentals in fresh pasta. And also Francis Mallamann – his open fire cooking is second to none, a primitive method of cooking that I hold close to heart.

6. What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

To me cooking, like eating, is linked to mood. So I don’t have 1 particular favourite. It changes seasonally for me. But some of my favourites are pork or beef on an open fire, pasta and risotto too!