Revelations: Amy Poon, founder, Poon's Wontoneria, London

18 August 2023
Revelations: Amy Poon, founder, Poon's Wontoneria, London

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Amy Poon, founder, Poon's Wontoneria, London

What was your best subject at school?

Art history

What was your first job?

Coat check girl at Poon's of Covent Garden in London

What was your first job in catering?

Behind the bar at Poon's of Geneva

What do you normally have for breakfast?

I don't eat breakfast

What do you do to relax?

Clean

Which is your favourite restaurant?

It depends on my mood and circumstance, but I always have a good experience at Clarke's in Kensington in London

What's your favourite hotel?

Zaborin in Hokkaido is pretty special

What is your favourite drink?

Tea

What is your favourite cuisine?

Chinese, of course!

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?

Manufactured, processed vegan meat substitutes

Which person in catering have you most admired?

My mother

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

My pa

Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?

My osteopath

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

My friend Fiona's German wirehaired pointer

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

Lost

What irritates you most about the industry?

The perception it is low-skilled

What's your favourite film?

The Sound of Music

What's your favourite book?

Impossible to answer but I reread The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe often

What is your favourite prepared product?

Poon's wind-dried duck liver sausage

If you had more time, what would you do?

Feed more people, spend time on a snowy mountain, piece together my parents' journey in more depth, write my pa's cookbook

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