“I grew up in a family where food was very very important. It was never just fuel. Food is social. It’s an import  moment in the day where you should get together with friends, family or someone else.” says Michel Roux Jr on the introductory picture of Fifty Chefs: The Hands That feed London.

From that moment on, I knew I’d love it. 50 or so chefs, facing the objective of the talented Katie Wilson, revealing how they came to cooking and showing how a lifetime behind the pots and pans has changed them. Showing their scars, reminding us that despite it looking like a very glamourous choice of carreer, life in a kitchen is tough, loud, tiring. But in the honest eyes and the tired smiles, each one of them still shows that cooking is their life and no matter how hard, they wouldn’t exchange it for the world.

Some of the UK’s top chefs and some not-so-well-known, yet still top-knotch restauranteurs.I especially liked reading about Nuno Mendes‘ (of the Chiltern Firehouse fame) tatoos (and how they remind him where he comes from and went through).
Also very touching where those stories about those places which became some of London’s top dining spots almost by accident. Because the people who created them worked hard, day and night, and cared about the quality of the food and the service they were providing to their customers.So many hands, so many faces, so many stories making up London’s exciting, incredibly diverse food scene.My favourite of the pictures was probably that of Bread Ahead‘s Justin Gellatly, which reminded me of my dad’s (who started working as a pastry chef when he was 15). I guess when it comes to food, we never really forget what we grew up with…From Shoreditch, with love! ❤