You have won many awards, so which means most to you and why?

Winning the LifeStyle Channel's Australian Regional Culinary Competition in 2001. I was representing my beloved region, the Hunter Valley. There were five of us in the team, and we used regional produce matched to regional wines. A team effort is the most satisfying as we all have to work as one, a team of ordinary people working together to achieve an uncommon goal.

You are presenting Asian cuisine from a Down Under perspective at the festival - so what is that perspective?

Asian fusion without the confusion!

Is keeping fit important to you?

Used to be! I used to train at least three times a week, but now I don't do any training. Work has consumed me, 60 hours plus each week. I sleep only four hours a day and survive on the adrenalin rush cooking gives me! Running around the kitchen and the region helps to keep some kilos off, but my wife will tell you that I am overweight!

What or who inspires you?

I am self-driven. Some will say I am over-focused in what I do as, apparently, I am intimidating, which I refute! I think I am easy to get on with, I just want the best from the people who work with me. However, I have read the book 'The Perfectionist' and I can so relate to Bernard Loiseau.

How do you kick-start your day?

A cup of English Breakfast tea when I wake up; if time allows, some fresh strawberries with natural yoghurt and drizzled with Australian native bee honey. Then I drive to work, taste everything before we serve it!

And how do you typically end a day?

End a night would be more correct! I go over the orders with my sous chef, talk to the staff to see how everything ran in each section, including the dining room, and then drive home.

There, I have a cup of tea and either vegetate in front of the TV, read a book or magazine for 30 minutes before going to bed.

How do you nourish your body - any foods off limits?

I have a bad habit of picking. I just cannot get time to sit down and eat while I am at work as there are too many things to do. All fatty foods should be off limits, but when I see a lovely piece of Iberico Bellota Jamon (cured ham from Spain), I can't resist.

How, then, do you nourish your spiritual side?

I drive to work and do a lot of reflective thinking, which helps me to realise that things may happen for a reason: I am lucky that I am alive, have a beautiful wife of 28 years, a driven 24-year-old son and a loving 26-year-old daughter. I reflect on the time I had with my late Chinese grandfather and late father-in-law, and that gives me strength.

Do you achieve work-life balance?

At the moment, they are not balanced. I have a new all-consuming venture called Restaurant Cuvee at Peterson House in the Hunter Valley. My wife Sandy is my rock.

When you aren't working, what do you do to relax?

Well, my son and daughter bought me a set of golf clubs, which I have yet to use. But hopefully I will one day! So to me, quality time with my wife is important, no matter what we do, so long as we do it together.

If you had three wishes to improve your health, what would they be?

1. Semi-retire
2. Stop and smell the roses
3. Go back to training in the gym

Any vices to speak of?

I like to smoke cigars - Cuban Cohibas - and I buy too much wine!

Any health problems?

No, but I'd like to be 10kg lighter!

And what has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Working with my staff.

What is the one guilty pleasure that you could never give up?

Yum cha (Cantonese for tea drinking. It's often used to mean a dim sum meal.) and suckling pig.

Do friends hate having you over for dinner for fear of serving you bad food, or are you quite easy-going when you aren't in charge of what is being put on the plate?

They all freak out! I tell them I am actually a plain eater at home. Home cooking is comfort food for me, so I tell them to cook me a meal and relax.

What's the best piece of advice you have been given that you have actually followed?

My dad said to me, when I started to work in the kitchen at the age of seven: 'Season and taste your cooking!' Your palate is your guide to quality control and this is something I tell all of my apprentices when they walk through the door for their first shift.