FOOD IS IRRESISTIBLE

to me. I fell in love with the idea that something so tangible can make people so happy. I was always hanging around in the kitchen when my mum was cooking. She’d tell me to get outside and play: boys don’t cook; they eat. But I just wanted to be around food. Sure, it’s about hunger, but it’s always been more about flavour. With some things I can’t help it – I have to taste them. I’d go to my yia yia’s house and she’d be making loukoumades for us and I’d have to stick my finger in the raw batter to taste it.

This book is about where my head is with food at the moment. It’s a collection that brings together the many influences in my life, whether that’s the dishes we dream up for the restaurants, or the meals I make at home for my kids. I think, after 20 years in the industry, I now understand that, at its core, what I do is all about pleasure.

This is an edited extract from Just George by George Calombaris (Hardie Grant Books, $50) and is available where all good books are sold. Photographer: © Armelle Habib 2019